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“This unique arrangement,” Schnakenberg says, “has resulted in Murray missing out on a number high-profile job offers.”

That’s putting it mildly. Schnakenberg lists many instances where Murray missed out on roles and many of the reasons are … interesting, to say the least. Here are some of the highlights, according to the book:

He refused to pick up the phone.

“Iron Man”: “We wanted Bill to consider a role in ‘Iron Man,’ but nobody could find him,” Robert Downey Jr. said.

“Bad Santa”: “According to director Terry Zwigoff, Murray made a verbal agreement to do the film, but when the time came to sign his contract, he was incommunicado,” Schnakenberg writes. Zwigoff said, “I left several messages on his answering machine, but after a few weeks of hearing nothing, we eventually moved on.”

“Monsters Inc”: Can you imagine the giant blue Sulley as any voice but John Goodman? It could have belonged to Murray. “But when studio executives tried to contact him to offer the part, he was nowhere to be found. Calls to the actor’s vaunted 800 number went unanswered,” Schnakenberg says. Adds director Peter Docter: “We took that to mean no.”

“The People Vs. Larry Flynt”: “Director Miloš Forman claims Murray never returned his phone calls.”

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”: “The elusive actor proved impossible to track down.” (Schnakenberg adds that Murray later regretted missing out on this one.)

“The Squid and the Whale”: “When Murray proved impossible to reach by phone, [director Noah] Baumbach gave up on him.”