Bill Murray Thinks Wanting an Oscar Award Is "Like a Virus"

Bill Murray may be getting all kinds of Oscar buzz for his performance in the new comedy St. Vincent, but don't expect him to campaign for the big prize.

"I've never done that," he tells writer Ramin Setoodeh in the new issue of Variety. "I know that's something [Weinstein Company boss Harvey Weinstein] does—he forces you to do these things. I'm not that way. If you want an award so much, it's like a virus. It's an illness."

The 64-year-old funny man admits he had "been infected" when he convinced himself that he was going to go home with an Academy Award in 2004 for his work in Lost in Translation.

Not only did he walk away empty-handed, but he now believes winning an Oscar can hurt a career.

"People have this post-Oscar blowback," Murray says. "They starting thinking, 'I can't do a movie unless it's Oscar-worthy.' It just seems people have difficulty making the right choices after that."