My Father, Bill Murray, and the Unlikely Film Role That United Them

The Bit Player: My Father with Steve Zissou

In this personal essay, the author recounts how her father, a former New Yorker writer who covered the Apollo missions, ended up with a small role in Wes Anderson's 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.' After losing his job and his marriage, he visits his daughter on set in Rome. When an actor falls ill, he's asked to screen test—and lands the part, despite never having acted before. The essay weaves together family history, the decline of space journalism, and a surreal encounter with Bill Murray, who once shared an elevator with her father.