Bill Murray is a big fan of Ralph Nader. In an interview with The Guardian, the actor talked about a host of topics including religion, politics, stardom, and the aforementioned political activist. Murray’s admiration for Nader is more than public. The actor campaigned for Nader when he ran during the 2000 presidential election. In the interview, Murray calls Nader “The Greatest Living American”.
He expounded on his point of view by discussing Nader’s campaign for automobile safety back in the 60s. “People thought: ‘Why is this son of a gun making me wear a seatbelt?’ Well, in 1965 I think the number was 55,000 deaths on the highway a year. That’s a lot of people dying. So he’s saved just about a couple of million people by now. It’s crazy! And that’s just one thing he did!”
He added, “I mean, they made a movie about the German who smuggled the Jews out. He saved hundreds. Great man. Deserved a movie. Spectacular. Great film and a great human being. But this guy, Ralph—there’s no movies about Ralph.”
If there’s one thing that Bill Murray and Ralph Nader have in common, it’s their “everyman” quality. The same appeal that made Murray fawn over Nader is also why people seem to be flocking around Murray wherever he’s seen.
Murray is currently busy promoting the film St. Vincent, one of the rare lead parts he has gotten in recent years. There are already rumors of an Oscar nomination for Murray, but the star admitted he’s not one to chase after prizes. In an interview with The National, he says, “That running after prizes stuff, I was involved in that once before. It’s like a low-grade virus. It’s an infection when you really campaign for it. But it’s fun to win the prize because you get the chance to get up on stage and be funny.”