Filmmaker Kevin Smith has reacted to news that actor Bruce Willis is officially retiring from acting. Willis’ family revealed via social media that the 67-year-old star of such classic films as Die Hard and Pulp Fiction has been diagnosed with aphasia and will no longer be able to continue with his acting career. Aphasia leads to the loss of the ability to understand or express speech and Willis’ diagnosis with the condition has come as a shock to fans around the world.
Throughout his lengthy career — which was kickstarted by his role opposite Cybill Sheperd in the popular 1980s comedy TV series Moonlighting — Willis gained a reputation as an action hero, particularly within the Die Hard franchise. But in addition to the no-nonsense characters he played on screen, he was also known as a challenging star to work with, often not getting along with his co-stars and directors. While the internet is filled with stories of Willis’ difficult nature, it was arguably Smith’s recounting of his time spent working on the 2010 film Cop Out with Willis that has come to define the star’s on-set demeanor. Smith prefaced his accounts of directing Willis by maintaining that prior to working with the Die Hard star, he was a huge fan. All of that changed throughout the course of the film’s production, however, ultimately leading Smith to label their time together as “soul crushing.”
Unfortunately, Willis’ health has now forced him to step away from his acting career and the sudden news of his aphasia diagnosis is still registering with many. As one of the many directors who worked with Willis during his time as an actor, Smith hardly seems like he’d be one of the first to speak up. But that’s exactly what he’s done, taking to his official Kevin Smith Twitter account to relay his thoughts on Willis’ diagnosis, his apologies for past gripes, and to wish Willis as well as his family well. Check out the full message below:
To be fair, Smith’s initial meeting with Willis hadn’t been bad at all. The two had worked together on 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard, a time which Smith greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately, when it came time to work together in an actor/director dynamic, Smith couldn’t find any silver linings. Cop Out went on to become a box office and critical failure, and unsurprisingly, Willis and Smith never worked together again. In later years, Smith told stories about Willis – both good and bad – during his live performances and even included information about their time on Cop Out in his 2013 book Tough Sh*t. In other words, it’s been clear for a very long time now that Smith didn’t have many good things to say about Willis.
This is why, after such a long period of animosity, Smith’s willingness to put the past behind him and take the high road is so admirable. There will certainly be those who worked with Bruce Willis over the years who won’t step up and wish him well, and that’s their choice, of course. And it’s also fair to argue that Willis’ illness does not erase how he behaved or treated others over the years. But there’s also no denying that throughout his career, Willis gave so many of us a great deal of joy and that in itself is worth honoring.
