Funnyman Bill Murray has conjured up an unusual way to work without an agent or publicist - he's set up his own toll-free hotline where callers can leave a message at the beep.

The infamously elusive actor doesn't like being harassed by producers, studio heads or agents, so he has set up his own 1-800 number to dodge their calls - and returns them only if he feels like talking business.

He says, "I have this phone number that they call and talk. And then I listen. I just sort of decide. I might listen and say, 'OK, why don't you put it on a piece of paper, and if it's interesting, I'll call you back, and if it's not, I won't.'

"It's exhausting otherwise. I don't want to have a relationship with someone if I'm not going to work with them. If you're talking about business, let's talk about business, but I don't want to hang out and bulls**t."

