I have always like Woody Harrelson, from his television career on “Cheers” to his movie career with such films as “White Men Can’t Jump” and “No Country for Old Men.” But, I realize that in real life, Harrelson is a bit…different.
This past Wednesday, Harrelson had an altercation with a photographer at the La Guardia airport in New York. The TMZ photographer was taking a video of Harrelson and his daughter as they went down an escalator to leave the terminal. The first video ends with Harrelson reaching for the camera. Fortunately for the photographer, who remains unidentified, he had a second camera to whip out once Harrelson reached for the lens of the first camera. Harrelson returned the camera to the photographer, but then a fight ensued. You can hear the photographer telling Harrelson “this is assault” and “would you please just chill out?” The photographer continues to follow Harrelson out to the parking lot even after the assault. Harrelson turns and begins to chase the photographer and he can be heard telling someone on the phone “I’m being chased by Woody Harrelson while I’m talking to you.” Apparently, Harrelson caught the photographer and punched him as you can hear the guy saying “He hit me in my face, he broke my friggin’ camera, he broke the camera in pieces.” At that point, Harrelson, his daughter, and the driver got in an SUV and left.
Now, Harrelson is not denying he was involved in the scuffle, but he does have unique reasoning as to why – he thought the photographer was a zombie. He said in a statement issued by his publicist, “”I wrapped a movie called ‘Zombieland,’ in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character. With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie.” Understandably.
The photographer has filed a complaint with the police and a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the matter is being looked into. Harrelson is currently being sued by TMZ photographer Josh Levine for a 2006 alleged assault incident.
You can see the video at TMZ.