The hearts of women from all over the
world stopped from his brutal bald head, and thousands of young men watched cult films
with his participation again and again.
He is an actor with almost 90 films and series
under his belt. He is a megastar, a trendsetter of the menacing look and the white jersey,
and one of the highest paid movie actors.
Work gave him the opportunity to become someone
else. However, millions fell in love with Bruce Willis for his cynicism, charisma, brutality
and eternal desire to save the universe.
What did the actor have to
do to get his first roles?
How did he feel about showing his genitals in
the shot, and why did his wives live together?
What led to the fact that the famous
Bruce Willis began acting in B-movies?
You will learn the answers to all these
questions and much more today from our video.
You're on the Biographer Channel, sit back, and we start.
Childhood
Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19 in
West Germany, in the city of Idar-Oberstein. Bruce is half German: his mother,
Marlene, was a pure-blood German, and his father, David, was an American who came to
Germany to serve in the army.The love happened.
His family moved to his father's homeland in New
Jersey when the future actor was two years old. Bruce became the eldest of four children. He
has a brother David and a sister Florence. The second brother - Robert
- died of cancer in 2001.
The Willis was a working family: his father
worked for different years as a welder, a mechanic, and a worker at a factory.
Mom worked part-time in a bank.
The breakup of his parents affected him
so much. Bruce stayed with his father, the mother took three other children.
“Our family kind of exploded and everybody went off on their own”, he recalled.
I did all right, especially in the humanities. The best thing I got out of school was an enjoyment
of reading. But I went into high school in 1968. We did everything everybody did at that time.
Smoked dope, learned to drink early, hung out.
The boy grew up insecure. He studied well at
school but suffered from severe stuttering. Willis was saved by an unexpected thing: he auditioned
for a role in the school play "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and realized that
he no longer stuttered when he was on stage.
After that, Bruce began to play regularly on
stage. It helped him overcome the speech feature, as well as become very popular in the class.
Each performance added self-confidence to him.
When I acted I was being a different
person. The emotional trigger that caused me to stutter—I don’t know what the fuck
it was—stopped when I would act. Finally, I told myself I wasn’t going to be
affected by it, and I grew out of it.
This experience made a big impact on the young
actor. It was at that time when Willis formed his image of an ironic, sarcastic guy
who doesn’t give a damn about anything. Later, having become a world star, he would
meticulously hone his lines and answers, try to maintain his own image of Bruce
Willis and make sure that he does not stutter again before each interview and performance.
In parallel, the boy's love for music was traced: he tried to sing, playing
along on the harmonica. School friends gave Bruce the nickname "Buck Buck"
The young man became the chairman of the student council in high school, even though the future
star did not take his studies too seriously.
“Bruce was one of the smartest. He could have
easily become a straight-A student, but he believed that the main thing at school was fun,
and not studying at all. - recalled his classmate
Bruce was eventually expelled from
school for participating in a big fight.
The adventures of the future star did not end
there: when he turned 19 he was arrested for drugs: For two joints, one behind each ear.
Bruce searched for his place for some time after leaving school in 1973: he worked as a
security guard at the Salem nuclear power plant, was a bus driver for the DuPont chemical company,
and studied the business of a private detective.
But nothing could satisfy his aspirations, and
he was finally convinced of the path he had once planned: to become a professional actor.
The beginning of the acting career
He did not have enough patience to master academic
knowledge, despite his aspirations. Bruce studied for a year at Montclair State University and
dropped out, and graduated only years later by correspondence. The thirst for activity led him
to New York, where Bruce knocked on the doors of theatres. The young actor skipped classes
to audition for plays, since the college was only 20 minutes from New York. They did not want
to take him anywhere for a long time. Finally, Bruce got a role in the play Off Broadway, after
which he immediately dropped out of his education. It was 1977, he was twenty-two years old.
Working in the theatre did not particularly bring income, that’s why the guy had to earn
extra money either as a bartender or as a waiter.
Willis got a job in a popular New York bar
called "Centrale", where actors liked to hang out. A short career as a waiter also did not
work out due to sluggishness, but the actor was remembered to people as a good bartender.
He impressed visitors with his appearance: a torn T-shirt, wide trousers that looked like a
parachute, roller skates and a coloured headband. He hummed songs, played the harmonica and joked
while wandering around the hall. Bruce's bar colleagues gave him the nickname Bruno.
Willis starred only in episodic roles, as well as commercials, while there were
no great successes in film and television.
The debut appearance on the screen
was the participation of the young man in a fragment of the scene of the film “The
First Deadly Sin”, which the audience saw in 1980. The guy was noticed in the bar by the
casting director and invited to try himself. You can see the young actor in the episode
when Frank Sinatra comes out of the bar, followed by a man in a cap. It was Bruce.
We also saw Willis in the episodic role as an observer in court in the film
"The Verdict" two years later.
Willis starred in a commercial for Levi's in
1984. His appearance turned out to be powerful, even though the actor was given only a few
seconds at the end of the video. “... made some good dough for the first time, when a hundred
bucks seemed like a million,” the actor recalled.
In addition to commercials, Bruce appears
on the television series Miami Vice, playing Tony Amato, a brutal international
arms dealer who is closely watched by the FBI.
A breakthrough in the actor's career happened
in 1985 after he participated in the detective series "Moonlighting", playing one of the main
roles. Initially, they wanted to refuse Bruce: the representative of the TV channel considered
it inappropriate for the role of a private detective of a guy with an earring in his ear,
a punk hairstyle and in a military uniform.
But the director of the series, Glenn Gordon
Caron, saw in the guy the impudence and charisma and allowed him to participate in the
auditions with Cybill Shepherd, the actress who was already approved for the second main role.
Thus, Bruce got the opportunity to prove himself in a major project, bypassing almost
three thousand contenders for the role.
He fondly recalled participating in the show:
It was like an experimental theater group. We were doing something that was on
the edge. There were hardly any rules. Cybill was fabulous. Particularly in the
first few years, we were both really jamming.
It was rumored that the passion and quarrels
between Cybill and Willis were not only on the screen, but also behind the scenes.
Although the actor himself denied this: We would disagree about how scenes should be
played, but that’s part of the process, he said. As well as denied sexual attraction: There
were hot days, days when things might have sparked or something. But there was nothing to report.
Bruce became very popular after a few episodes. The series was nominated for 16 Emmy
Awards, including in the Best Actor category after the second season. It was not only
nominated, but also won among others in 1987.
Later, Bruce admitted that such
fame was unexpected for him:
It definitely turned out to be bigger than
what I had imagined, but I knew it was good when I saw early scenes. I think John McTiernan
[the director] shone. He would do things with the camera that I wouldn’t always understand. He
made it really exciting—nonstop, claustrophobic.
The ratings began to decline by the end
of the third season. Partly due to the development of love relationships between the main
characters, and partly due to Cybill's pregnancy. Bruce's fading interest in the weekly
series also added fuel to the fire: popularity attracted the actor to a big film.
Willis stated that he would never star in a TV series again after filming Moonlight. But, after a
while, he nevertheless broke his word by playing a cameo role in Friends. But there was a special
reason for this, which we will discuss later.
Willis got his first major film role
- in the romantic comedy film Blind Date directed by Blake Edwards in 1987. The
actor's partner in filming was Kim Basinger, who got the role of the protagonist's lover.
Bruce again got a comedic, slightly ridiculous character, Walter Davis. He was always kidding
and was not very serious about what was happening. As we will see later, it was difficult for
Bruce to get rid of the comical image.
The actor did not forget about commercial
advertising projects. In the same year, he starred in a video for the alcohol brand
Seagram’s, together with Sharon Stone.
Cooperation with the brand
lasted for many years later.
Passion for music has become a kind of hobby of
the actor. In 1987, he recorded and released his first album, The Return of Bruno, named after
his old nickname. The album consisted of 10 songs in the style of blues and soul. Willis
performed the main vocal part throughout.
The album became quite successful: it took
14th place on the national Billboard 200 list, the song "Respect Yourself" took
5th place on the American charts, and the composition "Under the Boardwalk" went
up to 2nd place in the UK national chart.
Bruce met actress Demi Moore at the premiere
of the detective comedy Stakeout on August 5, 1987. Love took their heads off, and
they got married on November 21.
In her autobiography, the
actress shared her memory:
"We were moving to the gambling tables when
Bruce said, 'I think we should get married.' We'd been joking about it on the flight there,
but suddenly it didn't seem like he was kidding."
No one believed in the seriousness of
their relationship, as the actor had a reputation of womanizer and drinker. The
actress thought different. In an interview, she admitted that Bruce is "fully ready
to open his arms and give her love."
And she was not mistaken: Willis gave up
alcohol and went headlong into the family.
Their first of three daughters, Rumer
Glenn Willis, was born a year later. Scout LaRue and Tallulah Belle were born in 1991
and 1994. By the way, Bruce loves to cook. The film actor admitted, in one of his interviews,
that he even attended various cooking courses to cook delicious food for his beloved daughters.
Career “Swings”
If I ask you, “What is the first Bruce
Willis role that comes to your mind?” you will most likely name the cool and
witty police officer John McClane.
It was this role that brought the actor worldwide
fame, love for many years and good fees, of course, you can’t help that.
However, It wasn't easy to get it. Bruce competed with actors such as Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford and Richard Gere, but they all
turned down the job for various reasons.
The role was specially rewritten
for Willis after he was approved: instead of a brutal lone hero with iron
fists with a meager emotional spectrum, we see a lively, sensual and humorous guy
who periodically deals with bad guys.
The film had overwhelming success. Box office
exceeded all expectations of the creators. And so it was decided to shoot two sequels.
Willis received $5 million for his role, which greatly alarmed the industry and the media,
because it was a really huge fee at that time. Alan Ladd Jr., then chairman of MGM, complained
that such salary was a standard that would “throw the whole movie business out of whack.”
However, the distributor of Die Hard, 20th Century Studios, insisted Willis was worth it. Only he was
able to carry off an action hero who had walked in off the street, so happy and cynical that he
seemed to nod to the fact he was in a movie.
But, as you know, three films
about Die Hard were not enough, and as a result, the world saw 5 sequels: Die
Hard 2 in 1990, Die Hard 3: Retribution in 1995, Die Hard 4.0 in 2007, Die Hard: A Good Day to
Die in 2013 - and Die Hard: Year One in 2019.
Offers poured in after the very first movie,
and a new role was assigned to Willis. It was the role of the world’s savior with a
great sense of humor, who can get out of any situation. But it also had another side. If Willis
was worth $5 million, he had to prove it. Becoming an atypical modern main role actor, some kind of
a Hudson hawk of Hollywood. Of course, Willis was recognized by the whole Hollywood, but it never
again let the established image be forgotten.
In addition to the famous role in 1988, another
less known film with Bruce was released. It was “Sunset” by Blake Edwards. The actor got the
main role of Tom Mix, a western actor who, by chance, is forced to become a real detective.
The film did not come out very well, receiving the “Golden Raspberry” for the worst director.
After Die Hard, Bruce starred in Norman Jewison's drama In Country, which was released in 1989.
He got the role of the main character's uncle, who is trying to shed light on the life of
his dead brother and the girl's father.
Willis was nominated for this role for
the Golden Globe film award, despite the lack of a plot and insignificant box office.
Soon we could hear the voice of Willis in Amy Heckerling's romantic comedy "Look Who's Talking".
He voiced the film's protagonist, a toddler named Mikey. The stars of the time - John Travolta and
Kirstie Alley - became his partners on the set.
The movie received mixed reviews from critics.
But despite this, it became a hit and grossed $297 million. Therefore, it was not surprising that
soon the audience was able to see the continuation in the form of the second part in 1990.
It was followed by the role of journalist Peter Fallow in the 1990 American comedy The Bonfire
of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma. But the attempt was unsuccessful: the tragicomedy
received 5 nominations for the Golden Raspberry.
It was one of the few works by Bruce in which
he agreed with the assessment of film critics. I would not do again, given the opportunity,
he said about the film. And added:
The movie was based on a great book.
But one problem with the story, when it came to the film, was that there
was no one in it you could root for. In most successful movies,
there’s someone to cheer on.
One of the cult films with Willis that the
world saw was “Hudson Hawk” by Michael Lehmann, which was released in 1991. In the
next comedy, the actor got the role of Eddie Hawkins - a conscientious thief who
is trying to resist an insidious corporation.
The film received mixed reviews. It became very
popular in the world, grossed $80 million at the box office, and performed well on home video.
The film was criticized in the United States: the average rating barely reached 4 out of
10, and the box office was only $17 million.
Leading film critics were ruthless. Roger
Ebert disliked the movie, describing it as a complete disaster. Variety called the
film "a relentlessly annoying clay duck that crash-lands in a sea of wretched excess
and silliness. Those willing to check their brains at the door may find sparse amusement."
But the actor did not agree with the critics. In one of the interviews, he said that he
considers their assessments to be biased. Especially when it came to his acting.
If they put their mind to it, they can crush a movie or an actor. The critical media in general
can conspire to make people feel fucking stupid if they see a movie. It happened with Hudson Hawk.
It had nothing to do with the film…. they were reviewing before anyone saw a frame of it. It was
just my time to catch a beating in the press.
Perhaps it was that first negative experience
that influenced the subsequent way Bruce chose the role. Later he would say: I choose
the role that I like. In the future, the actor will be easier to assess his work.
I stood back and looked at how much power I was giving to these people. I thought, If
they say I’m good, am I good? If they say I suck, do I suck? I realized that wasn’t
the scale by which to measure oneself.
In addition to "Hawk" in the same year, two more
films with Bruce's participation were released: the action comedy "The Last Boy Scout"
by Tony Scott and the trailer for "Mortal Thoughts" by Alan Rudolph.
They were warmly welcomed.
“The Last Boy Scout” was very difficult to
implement due to the conflict between the writer, director and studio, who had different visions
of the visual presentation of the material. The studio wanted to do something similar to "Die
Hard" with the formula of explosions every 10 minutes of the film, and therefore they constantly
made adjustments both to the script itself and to the final material. This naturally affected
the atmosphere on the set, making it very tense.
Bruce, as expected, was assigned the role
of a champion of morality and justice, and the part-time private detective Joe
Hallenbeck, who, with the hero Damon Wayans, are trying to unravel a series of murders
and trying their hand against the mafia.
Willis was to play with the charming Demi
Moore in his next film, "Mortal Thoughts". It was an unusual role for the actor who was
used to playing only positive characters. That time he needed to play a cruel drug addict
husband and a rapist who is overtaken by karma.
Interestingly, many scenes of the
film were partially improvised, and no one knew what the ending would be
until the film crew started shooting.
"Mortal Thoughts" received two nominations: the
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards and the National Society of Film Critics Awards,
but the actor didn't receive any award.
Another great comedy in the actor's filmography
was "Death Becomes Her" by Robert Zemeckis, where Bruce worked in tandem with
Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. As you remember, the role of Bruce was not too
heroic: a drunken husband in an unsuccessful marriage is a traitor and a former plastic
surgeon who rarely shows symptoms of courage.
The film was technically very difficult
to produce, as it was created with the use of computer effects: for example,
becoming the first film in which the texture of the skin was reproduced.
There were some excesses too: Streep accidentally cut Goldie Hawn's face in a scene
where their heroines are fighting with shovels.
The black comedy grossed $149
million at the box office, beating production costs, and also pioneered
the use of computer-generated effects, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
But critics were less friendly to the film: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave Death
Becomes Her a 'thumbs down', commenting that while the film had great special effects, it
lacked any real substance or character depth.
Bruce did not disdain episodic roles, either. In
the black comedy "The Player" by Robert Altman, he was given only a cameo. But he was
able to hug a half-naked Julia Roberts :)
Another profitable direction in his work
was filming in Japanese commercials.
He was lucky enough to become the face of the
commercial work of Subaru Legacy automobile, NTT DoCoMo Mova in the 90s.
The work of the actor in several
smaller film works came next.
“Loaded Weapon 1” was released in 1993. It was
an American parody of popular action films. John McClane did not bypass this list, and
therefore Bruce appeared in the role that the audience loved, albeit episodically.
It was impossible to do without the role of a detective. Rowdy Herrington's
"Striking Distance" released the same year. It expanded the actor's list of action movies.
The actor was once again in an unchanged image of a serious, brutal man, wearing a cap.
The beautiful blonde performed by Sarah Jessica Parker perfectly complemented the hero.
But there was another problem. Willis actively interfered with the script and, according to
the film crew, was very self-willed during filming. This led to production and
editing difficulties for the movie.
Scenes added by Bruce made the plot
so confusing that test audiences who were shown the film criticized it.
Because of this, the movie was partially re-shot and the actor was very unhappy with it.
Moreover, he accused the director of this, and in 2014 said that the movie “sucks”.
Critics agreed with Bruce. The film earned no more than 3 points out of 10 on Rotten
Tomatoes and Metacritic. Owen Gleiberman called the film a "flat, dankly lit, grindingly
inept thriller about a serial killer whose victims all turn out to have been acquaintances
of Willis' rumpled, alcoholic cop hero."
1994 did not bring success.
American noir film "Color of night" by Richard Rush was awarded the "Golden
Raspberry" as the worst film of the year. And even Bruce in the role of a romantic
psychologist did not save the picture.
By the way, this film was widely discussed for
the scene of underwater sex, where we can notice the actor's genitals. Later, Bruce admitted that
he agreed to this scene only because the director promised him to show the final result and cut out
shots that the actor would not like. But Richard Rush did not keep his promise.
The actor himself was not happy with such situations:
The fact is, f**k scenes are just hard work. They are the most uncomfortable
acting days you will ever experience. You’re naked in front of 90 people with, most of the
time, a woman you hardly know. You’re trying to develop a language of intimacy to make the scene
believable. Everybody is watching. You’re bare-ass naked. You’re sweating… It’s very unsexy.
Willis played a minor role as a not-too-pleasant type of contractor for whom the protagonist,
played by Paul Newman, worked intermittently in Robert Benton's comedy-drama film Nobody's Fool.
The audience highly appreciated Bruce's work, calling it "quite solid" despite the specific
role. The film was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Bear and Golden Globe, and also won
the Berlin Film Festival award for Best Actor. Unfortunately not addressed to Willis.
But if you have not seen the brutal Willis in the image of the Easter Bunny, then - I
will surprise you - there was such a thing. He reincarnated several more times, being
the image of either a wise fairy or the guardian angel of the protagonist in the
family comedy “North” by Rob Reiner,
By the way, write in the comments which
Willis movie you watch most often.
But the implementation failed: the box office was
only 12 million dollars, with forty million spent, and received mostly negative reviews from critics,
who called the film one of the worst films of the year. Among other things, the film had multiple
nominees for the Golden Raspberry Award in the Worst Film and Worst Director categories.
But then it happened ... Quentin Tarantino created his famous masterpiece "Pulp Fiction",
which has become a cult. The success of the film was facilitated by the original, inherently
non-linear script and excellent cast in the faces of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson,
Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, and Quentin Tarantino himself.
Willis got one of his most striking roles. It was Butch Coolidge, a professional boxer
who tries to act by his own rules.
Initially, Tarantino wanted to give the role of
Butch to Sylvester Stallone, since, according to his idea, the boxer should have been played by
an actor with a “combat record” who had already achieved Hollywood fame. But in the end, the role
went to Bruce, who really wanted to play it.
Moreover, this role went to him by accident.
Harvey Keitel told Bruce about it during a personal meeting, and the very next day, during
Harvey's barbecue, Willis and Tarantino met. They talked for a long time and the actor
admitted that he wanted to star in the film, as he really liked the script.
“...the dialogue was perfect. There’s so much real life in this wild
story—that’s what I like about it.”
The film's premiere was a sensation. It won
the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was presented and instantly earned a good
reputation. At just over $8 million to produce, Pulp Fiction paid off more than 22 times. Todd
McCarthy called the movie "an exciting pop culture spectacle ... an amazing, huge success."
And MovieMaker summed up the overall impression: "The film was nothing short of a
national cultural phenomenon."
As a result, “Pulp Fiction” earned
several Oscar nominations, winning in the category “Best Original Screenplay”,
as well as the “Golden Globe”, BAFTA.
Bruce appeared in Terry Gilliam's
dystopia "12 Monkeys" in 1995, and also had a cameo role in the black comedy
"Four Rooms". Four directors worked on this picture, including Allison Anders, Alexander
Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino. Willis played for free in Four Rooms, and even
agreed to remove his name from the titles because according to the rules of the Screen Actors
Guild, artists have no right to play for nothing.
Bruce got the familiar role of the savior of the
world in the work of Terry Gilliam. This time he played James Cole, a prisoner who agreed to
participate in an experimental time travel program in the hope of defeating an insidious virus.
An incident occurred during the filming: Brad Pitt, who also got a role in
the film, called Willis "O Almighty Bald One.". The latter was not offended:
My head was shaved for the film, which was weird. It’s a scary, monstrous look.
Fortunately, I have a nice round head. What you don’t want to do is shave and find
out you have one of those misshapen pinheads.
As you understood, by this moment Bruce
had not yet earned his famous bald head
The film paid off at the box office and earned
$168 million, as well as many nominations for prestigious film awards. Willis also finally got
the award - the Saturn Award for Best Actor.
Terry Gilliam said after working together:
“Bruce is very powerful when he’s still—not blowing up half the known universe.”
The next year was not very successful.
Bruce got the main role in the
action movie "Last Man Standing". He played mercenary John Smith, who is fighting
Mexican gangsters, pursuing his own goals.
Even though the actor was nice to see in a suit
and a felt hat, the movie could hardly be called a masterpiece. Roger Ebert described the film as
"desperately dull, dry, squeezed and laconic". Even the movie's hero is bad company, he
expressed his attitude towards Bruce's work.
The audience was divided in their opinion. Some
criticized the weak acting and “a lot of noise”, as well as those who highly appreciated the
acting of the protagonist and the development of the film. Many saw it as a continuation
of the role of "Die Hard" in a new way.
Willis did not get rid of his heroic role
in the animated series “Bruno the Kid”, which was created by the actor himself and
produced by the independent animation studio Film Roman. In it, Bruce - voiced the main
character, the same Bruce, only 11-year-old. Even the hairstyle hinted at something.
In 1997 Willis starred in a film that many viewers have loved for many years.
Namely, it was the fantastic thriller "The Fifth Element" by Luc Besson, where
he played in tandem with Milla Jovovich.
Korben Dallas is a taxi driver and ex-military
who leads a dull existence until fate literally falls on his head in the form of a charming
and gentle Leeloo. There was everything: shooting, irony, well-designed images
that have become iconic, and great humor.
As always, the unshakable and courageous
Bruce with dyed hair looks “in his place”, his image was perfectly set off by other heroes.
No one can argue with the cultural influence of The Fifth Element. Many phrases from the
film have become popular quotations.
Besson came up with the idea of love between
a taxi driver and an alien girl in his teens, but he was able to realize it many years later.
And then, after the success of the two previous projects: “La Femme Nikita” and “Leon”, since
before that not a single film studio agreed to give a lot of money for the sake of a young
director. He was able to get a credit of trust after receiving international fame. But the
first appetites still had to be tempered.
It is because of this that he did not
expect to get Willis as the main character. “I don’t have enough money for your
honorarium...” Besson said and heard in response: “Let's agree!”. Willis liked the script,
and they really agreed on "friendly" money.
He later clarified, "Sometimes I can do something
just because it's fun and interesting."
Crew members of The Fifth Element recalled:
“Bruce had a reputation for being difficult, but with us, he acted like a real
sweetheart. The reason is that he absolutely trusted Luke, as did all of us."
The Fifth Element became the highest-grossing film in the history of French cinema, earning $264
million, and also received several awards: the Cesar Award, the Lumière Award, the
Golden Screen Award, and an Oscar nomination.
Two more projects by Willis
were released in the same year.
He played cameo roles as an amnesiac
patient on Mad About You and Michael Caton-Jones' The Jackal,
which was a dubious success. Once again it was indestructible and formidable
Bruce in the role of a super killer named Jackal, an elusive master of disguise.
Such variable success
Gradually, the actor's career began
to slip. But Bruce did not lose his passion for work and tried various projects.
Willis was diligently trying to get rid of the role, showing himself as a versatile actor. When
choosing roles, he also based on the artistic component, the story was important to him. And the
success of some of his works was explained by the lack of the young Willis' wish to participate
in the race for awards in the early years. He clearly chose non-standard roles based on his
own taste, and not from commercial prospects.
I’m drawn to them because they have obstacles
to surmount. It’s more interesting than playing the George Hamilton character who shows up
with the great car and the beautiful girl. When I chose those movies, I never thought
about whether or not they had similarities. I thought about whether they were good stories.
That was confirmed by an interview with Willis, which he gave to Bobbie Wygant
on the NBC show in 1988.
But the public was eager to see
Bruce Willis as Bruce Willis.
The world saw Harold Becker's action
drama "Mercury Rising" in 1998, in which Willis shared the lead role with Alec
Baldwin. There was the standard hero image in ragged jeans and a windbreaker, so familiar to
us earlier, that time - an FBI officer who was trying to protect a 9-year-old boy with
autism who had revealed a secret code.
The film brought the actor another “Golden
Raspberry” in the category “worst actor”.
He received another "Golden Raspberry" after
the release of the action movie "The Siege" by Edward Zwick, in which Bruce played the role of
General William Devereux - an antagonist in a film that hardly earned the sympathy of the audience.
To be fair, The Siege was different from the standard action movie with the “bangs
every 10 minutes”. There were grim realism, slow development of events, character development
and intellectual component at the core. There were no funny jokes and barbs, which
many were looking for in films with Willis.
Michael Bay's "Armageddon" made little
difference. The film had an impressive cast: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton,
Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson and good box office.
"I'm happy that the end of the world amuses
people so much," Willis commented on the film's popularity at the box office.
But that work brought Willis the "Golden Raspberry". They were both the film
itself and the actor in the nomination “for the worst male role” - he played
the head of a brigade of oil drillers.
Bay's work was accused of too loose recourse
of the filmmakers to the laws of physics and "elementary logic", for technical inconsistencies
in the image of the Mir orbital station, the illiteracy of disclosing the work
of astronauts and other gross errors.
The director was trying to somehow justify
himself for many factual errors and said that the production studio did not provide the
film crew with either resources or time.
We had to shoot the entire movie in 16 weeks.
It was a huge job, unfair to the film. If only I could redo the third part - but the studio
literally took the film from us, and it was terrible. ... But the film turned out good.
But the anti-premium did not affect the popularity of the actor. Sony released a "shooter"
for the PlayStation with the telling name "Apocalypse" in 1998. The main character's face
was based on Willis. He was covered with sensors to do that, "catching" movements, his face was
digitized. Plus, the actor voiced "himself."
The height of the cinematic career of
Bruce and Demi Moore led to the fact that the marriage gradually began to crack.
It became difficult for them to balance between career and family. Moore and Willis agreed to
build their schedules so that they were shooting at different times and not leave the children
without the care of at least one of the parents, but this only led to the fact that the spouses
began to spend very little time together.
Rumours about the relations between Willis and
Liv Tyler during the filming of "Armageddon" complicated the situation. As a result,
the couple broke up in the summer of 1998 after 11 years of marriage. And two
years later, in 2000, they divorced.
In an interview, Bruce admitted that he
did not know what happened between them:
“I still love Demi. We’re very close,” … “We
have three children whom we will continue to raise together, and we’re probably as close
now as we ever were. We realize we have a lifelong commitment to our kids. Our friendship
continues….It’s difficult to live your life and marriage under a magnifying glass, which
is what happens to movie star couples.”
Willis did not hide his joy after
the divorce: “The bachelor life is incomparable! I love women." The disillusionment
with monogamy led to the fact that over the next 10 years, Bruce will change women like gloves.
Nevertheless, the former spouses to this day remain on good terms, supporting each other.
1999 was more successful in terms of career.
Bruce got the role of Dwayne Hoover in Alan
Rudolph's tragicomedy Breakfast of Champions, a respectable company owner who slowly goes crazy
after reading a book by Kilgore Trout, another main character. Dwayne's mental state becomes so
unstable that it drives him to suicide attempts.
The movie turned out very expressive,
but the comedy did not work out.
The film received wide popularity at the box
office and was even nominated for a prize at the Berlin Film Festival the same year despite
the loose interpretation of the novel, based on which Breakfast of Champions was written.
But Willis earned a new round of popularity thanks to another film. It was the mystical drama
directed by M. Night Shyamalan "The Sixth Sense". The actor really succeeded in the role of a
specialist in the field of child psychiatry, trying to atone for his
guilt and correct a mistake. You should notice that it was not comedic. It
was far from sweaty T-shirts and gunfights.
By the way, Willis had to learn to write
with his right hand for his character, since he is left-handed in life.
The duet of Bruce and Haley Joel Osment was highly appreciated by the audience.
The film was the number one film at the US box office for five weeks, grossing
over $672 million after release.
Critics also praised the film.
Willis received two nominations at the "MTV Movie Award" in the categories "Best Actor"
and "Best Screen Duo" (with Haley Joel Osment). For the role, the actor earned
a tidy sum of $100 million.
Bruce remained and remains one of the
highest-paid actors despite the ups and downs in his career. In one of the interviews, he
was asked if this makes him happy. He replied:
For whatever reason, if there is a reason, if
there is destiny—I am a fortunate man. Some religions hold that I am being rewarded in this
life for whatever happened to me in a past life. Whatever happened back then, I don’t
know. I have no explanation for it. I’m just leading a charmed life. I have fallen
into—or created—fortunate circumstances.
Bruce's craving for melodramas
was gradually traced.
The comedy-drama The Story of Us directed
by Rob Reiner was released in the same year, where Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer played a
married couple with 15 years of marriage baggage.
But they didn't play very well. In any case, film
critics did not believe them. "A lack of chemistry between Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer
fatally undermines the dull and predictable Story of Us." - the audience summed up.
The actor did not lose the opportunity to star in the series in addition to the big movie.
In 1999 He appeared in the comedy-drama series Ally McBeal as Nickle, Ally's replacement
therapist, and he had a small role in the cult TV series Friends in 2000. He got the image
of Paul Stevens - the formidable father of the student and lover of Ross Geller, with whom
the latter began a relationship in season 6.
However, there was an interesting story connected
with the appearance of Willis in the series. It became known after the release of the series
that Bruce's participation in Friends was the result of a lost bet with Matthew Perry. This
happened during the filming of "The Nine Yards", where both actors were involved. Matthew was
sure that the film would be very successful after the release and beat the box office,
but Willis did not believe in the big success of the picture. But he lost.
Bruce is generally a very gambling man. He loves gambling and betting for no
reason. He prefers poker to card games: he even won $500,000 at one of the tournaments.
A cameo in Friends earned Willis an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Star, so he made a bet for good
reason. The actor donated the fee for appearing in the sitcom to five different charities.
The action comedy "The Whole Nine Yards" by Jonathan Lynn, released in 2000, really turned
out to be a success. And the duet of Willis and Perry became memorable. Bruce got the remarkable
role of a hitman named Jimmy "Tulip" Tudeski, a charming and cunning professional killer who
unsuccessfully tried to live a quiet life.
It seemed like the role of the philosophizing
killer was written for him. It fits perfectly into the image that made Bruce loved and recognizable -
ironically cynical, crafty, charismatic and cool.
It was said that Bruce wanted to get Matthew Perry
as a partner so much that he tried to persuade the latter to shoot on his own. But Parry was
on vacation, so Willis had to constantly communicate with his answering machine.
One day he left the following message to him, unable to withstand such a fate: "I will cut off
your legs, burn your house and watch you die." Later, this cannibalistic joke
was included in the film.
As you understood, Matthew was impressed.
By the way, the three girls running between Tulip and Nick when they are standing at the flower
stall are the three daughters of Bruce Willis.
The Whole Nine Yards grossed $106 million, audience love, and caused a sequel
in 2004 that was less successful.
Another movie of 2000 was John Turteltaub's drama
The Kid, in which Willis played Russ Duritz, a wealthy 40-year-old image consultant. His
character achieved a lot, besides what he really dreamed of. He hid from pain and loneliness at
work with the help of contempt for other people. And fate magically brought him together
with an 8-year-old version of himself.
The fate of Walt Disney Pictures films is rarely
successful. Well, here again. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a budget of
$110 million. It has been called "irritatingly simplistic". Roger Ebert was surprisingly positive
about the film: "Disney's The Kid is warm-hearted and effective, a sweet little parable that
involves a man and a boy who help each other become a better boy, and a better man."
However, The Kid was nominated for three awards, one of which won Young Artist Award.
M. Night Shyamalan's superhero thriller Unbreakable continued the wave of
Willis' success. It had another good actor in the face of Samuel L. Jackson in
the main role, and was released in 2000.
There were two antagonists. Bruce as "Unbreakable"
David Dunn, was a former American football player who unexpectedly learns about his
superpowers. And Jackson as "Mr Glass" was a gallery owner who suffers from a rare
disease that makes his bones very brittle.
The director's unusual approach to filming a
thriller: a non-standard slow pace of development of events, the absence of special effects
and stunts familiar to a superhero movie, and unusual camera angles - created a bewitching
effect. Leading critics appreciated this move. Even Roger Ebert, who did not like Bruce, admitted
that “The actors give performances you would expect in serious dramas… Willis, so often the
centerpiece of brainless action movies, reminds us again that he can be a subtle actor… If this
movie were about nothing else , it would be a full portrait of a man in crisis at work and at home.”
Therefore, it is not surprising that over time, “Unbreakable” became the first part of a trilogy.
"Split" was filmed in 2016, in which Willis appeared for only a few seconds. The world saw a
logical continuation of the first part - “Glass” in 2019. In it, the actor got the same role of
David Dunn, nicknamed the Overseer, who, along with his grown-up son, keeps order in the city.
“Glass” was rated worse than previous works. Pavel Solomatin, a reviewer for the InterMedia
website, described the film as follows: “Glass can neither surprise nor frighten, it is
terribly secondary to past films, although it can still please the audience with several very
beautifully constructed scenes and shots.”
The actor also did not forget about
music. He released a second album in 1989 - "If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes
You Stronger", but it didn't repeat the success of the first album, despite the growing
popularity of Willis as an actor.
In addition, Willis performs soundtracks for some films despite the modest
achievements of the albums. So, he sang "Good Lovin" together with Cybill
Shepard for the famous detective series, and also performed the songs "Swinging on a Star" and "Side
by Side" for the movie "Hudson Hawk". In addition, he has songs for the movie "The Whole Nine Yards"
and the cartoon "Rugrats Go Wild" under his belt.
Interesting fact: Bruce hates bad guys not only
on the screen but also in life. So, after the September 11 attacks, the actor announced that
he would personally pay one million dollars to anyone who would provide information about the
whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. And at first, Willis turned to the Ministry of Defense with
this proposal. They thanked him but politely refused his help. Then Bruce made a public
statement, promising a reward to any civilian.
But we will be back to films. The shot across
the bows about fatigue and career stagnation are gradually traced. Critics are increasingly
opposed to the work of the actor, and the audience did not support all of his characters.
Only one film with Willis was released in 2001. It was the crime comedy "Bandits" directed
by Barry Levinson. The actor was in his standard role in this movie. This time it was the
ironic and charismatic Joe Blake, a bandit who, using sleight of hand and flexibility of mind,
together with his colleague Terry, carried out a series of night robberies and got away scot-free.
The film was nominated for several film awards, including the Golden Globe and
Screen Actors Guild Awards.
A more serious character, and frankly - less
impressive, turned out to be Bruce in the military drama "Hart's War" by Gregory Hoblit,
which was released in 2002. His Colonel McNamara, and indeed the whole story, turned out to be very
unconvincing. It was flat and monotonous. Well, at least that's what the weak box office
and audience reviews said about it.
In addition to Hart's War, the actor appeared
in a cameo role in theBarry Tubb's family film Grand Champion and in the film adaptation of Sam
Shepard's theatre play "True West". The television version was directed by Gary Harwolson and filmed
in front of a live audience in 2001 at the Company of Fools Liberty Theatre. You would definitely
remember the cynical and aggressive role of Bruce, a tramp and a petty criminal in a torn white
jersey and with impassioned speeches on a chair.
Willis appeared with the same serious expression
in 2003 - this time in Antoine Fuqua's military drama "Tears of the Sun", where he got
the role of US Navy Lieutenant Waters, who, as usual, was forced to break
the rules to save civilians.
The heroism of Bruce's character was rated
average, and the box office did not recoup the budget. And even the beautiful Monica Bellucci
as Dr. Kendricks could not save the situation. Tears of the Sun earned an average of
4 out of 10 on film critic websites.
For those who don't remember or didn't
pay attention, Willis played a role in the second part of the acclaimed "Charlie's
Angels": Full Throttle, directed by McG. He played the role of the blond Minister of
Justice William Rose Bailey, who was successfully eliminated by the heroine Demi Moore.
Rumor said that Moore's participation in "Charlie's Angels" marked her return
to big cinema, but because Willis agreed to a cameo as a favor. There was also a second
condition: the three main characters promised to make a public service announcement about the
adoption of children, which they fulfilled.
During those years, Bruce increasingly began
to appear in cameos, because he was paid good money for a small role. Who wouldn't agree?
Willis had another stellar cameo in 2004, where he played himself in the second part
of Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's Twelve".
He played, but not very well. The director's
attempt to spice things up with an unexpected twist in which the main characters
met Bruce Willis was unsuccessful. In the scene, Bruce was trying to expose
Julia Roberts as...the fake Julia Roberts, but he clearly lacked good jokes and a general
understanding of what needed to be done.
Gradually, the actor became more and
more withdrawn and opposed to the press. He tried to appear less and less outside of
work, and carefully worked out every phrase.
The media became an adversary,
something almost every actor faces.
People think that if it’s written down,
it must be true….. I just walk through it. Somebody’s making money. It’s a
really shitty side of show business. It trades in human foibles, human tragedy,
human misbehavior and humiliation. And most of it isn’t true. All they give a fuck
about is selling this shit in the stores.
Things have gotten a little better since 2005.
The psychological thriller “Hostage” directed by the French director Florent Emilio Siri
was released, where the actor got the main role. Jeff Talley was a famous police negotiator
who lost his job after failing on a mission.
He had to find himself again. And
Willis was able to get a role again, in which he is good and saves the world
again with a thoughtful grimace on his face.
Overall, the film paid off and
even earned two nominations: Golden Trailer Awards and Taurus Award.
After that, Willis starred in the crime drama "Sin City" directed by Robert Rodriguez,
who co-wrote with Quentin Tarantino.
The film was shot in black and white, in the
visual style of Frank Miller's graphic novels, whose work formed the basis
of the film adaptation. Together with Bruce, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen,
Benicio Del Toro, and Jessica Alba played.
The role of Willis differed slightly from the
standard. He played Detective John Hartigan, the only honest police officer of a fictional
city who is trying to save a girl from a maniac.
“Stylish, gloomy, unusual, bloody
and inimitable Bruce Willis,” summed up one of the commentators on the site
of film critics. James Berardinelli placed the film on his "Top Ten" list of 2005 films. Roger
Ebert awarded the film 4 stars out of 5, calling it "a visualization of the pulp noir imagination,
uncompromising and extreme. Yes, and brilliant."
The film was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2005
Cannes Film Festival. A sequel to this movie, Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For, was
shot in 2014, but the second part was less successful than the first.
At the same time, Willis starred in the youth series “That '70s Show”, where he got
the role of Vic, the chatty security chief of a playboy club in Chicago. You certainly don't
expect to see an actor in a funny wig and thick glasses, fond of talking about himself
in the third person and nacho chips.
One of the best works of Willis can rightly
be considered participation in the film “Lucky Number Slevin” by Paul McGuigan,
which the audience saw in 2006.
The actor was in the company of Josh
Harnett, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Sam Jaeger and others on the set.
A kind cat is a ruthless and cunning killer, with a cold look. Bruce as always played a tough
guy, showing the power broker of the story.
"Lucky Number Slevin" bounced back
production costs by doubling the box office and received mixed reviews.
The film won two nominations at the Milan International Film Festival:
"Best Film" and "Best Actor". But, the award was again passed by Willis.
2006 did not bring successful work.
The premiere of Richard Linklater's drama Fast
Food Nation took place in May, where the actor got the role of Harry Rydell, a local supplier who
personifies the modern consumer with his cynical and superficial attitude to modern realities.
It is a sad fact of life, Don, but the truth is we all have to eat a little shit from time to time.
The film became a product of the local cinema market and was created to focus society's
attention on the culture of consumerism, expose the fast food industry, corporate abuse
and the perception of a person as an element of a big machine. Participation in such work was
an indicator of his civic position of Willis and his willingness to spend his truly golden
time working on socially significant movies.
But you can't run away from the standard image.
Bruce got to play the balding detective Jack Mosley suffering from alcoholism
and depression, who follows his honor and tries to save the main character from
a corrupt conspiracy in 16 Blocks, directed by Richard Donner. And he succeeded, of course.
The audience was able to admire Bruce's mustache and the cake at the end, but judging by the
reviews, they expected more from the movie. At least they expected not just the
standard story about corrupt cops.
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of five,
and praised the actor: Jack may be middle-aged, he may be tired, he may be balding, he may
be a drunk, but if he's played by Bruce Willis you don't want to bet against him.
Surprisingly, a completely different film was released at the same time. It was "Alpha
Dog" with the opposite of Bruce's usual image. He played the role of Sonny Truelove, a
classic representative of organized crime, who encouraged the drug business and
dangerous teenage "games" of his son.
The film is serious and difficult,
but at the same time - rough, bitter, and honest. The director tried to create a
truthful movie about the everyday life of the American "golden youth", about the values
of people and the price of modern society, in which the image of a classic bastard with a
golden chain around his neck was considered cool.
The unfunny comedy by Nick Cassavetes met with
mixed reactions and was a success at the box office. The consensus on film critic websites
states, "A glossy yet unflinching portrait of violent, hedonistic teenagers. Bruce Willis
and Sharon Stone chew the scenery, while Justin Timberlake gives a noteworthy performance."
A rather unusual experience for Willis was the voice acting of a two-faced and selfish
raccoon named RJ, who became one of the main characters in the cartoon "Over the Hedge".
But the cartoon became very successful, collecting $340 million at the box office, as
well as positive reviews from film critics.
"Over the Hedge" earned a ton of nominations,
and Bruce received a Kids' Choice Awards in the "Voice From an Animated Movie" category.
Willis did not stop hard work, and in 2006 his work was rewarded. A star was placed in
his honour on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He co-starred with Halle Berry in James Foley's
noir thriller The Perfect Stranger in 2007. The role of a playboy and a potentially dangerous
guy was similar to the standard image of Bruce. But whether it was done intentionally or
not, Harrison Hill is not the main character. He was shown carefully, as if indirectly,
and for a long time we believed in the story that they are trying to show us.
The audience greeted the film coldly. It was rated hardly higher than 3 points
out of 10 on the sites of film critics.
Willis' participation in the exploitation film
"Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez marked the actor's career problems. It was also about his
commercial approach to choosing roles. He played Lieutenant Muldoon - a crazy military man who
released a gas that turned people into zombies.
"Planet Terror" failed at the box office
despite positive reviews from viewers. It’s not surprising, because Rose McGowan
dressed in a sexy outfit and with a cannon leg was an affecting spectacle. But I would not look
for a deep philosophical meaning in the film.
Another cameo was Bruce's role in the
detective comedy Nancy Drew by Andrew Fleming. In it, he again played ... himself, who
allegedly shot a crime film in Los Angeles.
Even though we're not used to seeing an actor
in any role other than an unbreakable tough ass, he didn't shoot anyone, blow up
anyone, or even turn away from the explosion with a calm expression on his face.
The comedy-drama “What Just Happened” by Barry Levinson was released in 2008, where Willis again
got the familiar role of himself. Moreover, it was interesting to note that he portrayed a capricious
and vicious movie star who rattled whatever he wanted. How far is this image from reality?
The detective comedy “Assassination of a High School President” by Brett Simon gave
the actor one of the main roles - an eccentric school principal with a military
background named Jared T. Kirkpatrick.
Straightening, baldness and an ironic sight looked
at us from the screens and gradually this image became more and more familiar to us.
The film received mixed reviews: 5 out of 10. But Bruce was dubbed high,
calling his acting "hilariously intense".
The next year can hardly be called productive: the
actor appeared in only one film - “Surrogates”, a fantastic action movie by Jonathan Mostow. It
was the main role of FBI agent Tom Greer, who, investigating the murder along the way,
changed the world order in a dystopian future.
The white jersey was replaced with a leather
jacket, but there was the familiar and beloved Bruce in front of us: gloomy, purposeful and
invariably fair, though with a small beard.
“Surrogates” also could not please
with numerous positive reviews.
Bruce was caught by the paparazzi
with various models and actresses for ten years after breaking up with Demi Moore, but he never announced an official relationship.
The only significant relationship in that period was the actor's romance with the model
and actress from Baywatch Brooke Burns.
The relations began in 2003. It was even
speculated that Bruce gave the actress a diamond ring from Cartier, but after 9 months the
couple broke up. Maybe the schedules didn't match. Perhaps - the woman was jealous of the actor's
ex-wife: he often disappeared from her.
But another significant woman in
the life of Willis was Emma Heming. It was she who changed the life of an actor.
They met with the actor before: Emma knew about the adventures of an avid bachelor.
But she was not against courtship, and therefore they gradually began to be
seen together at parties. The couple looked happy despite a decent age difference.
The couple got married in March 2009. Emma gave the movie star two more daughters:
Mabel Ray in 2012 and Evelyn Penn in 2014. It is said that with the advent of a new wife,
Willis's attitude to marriage changed again, and the actor himself admitted that with the
advent of a girl, he became much happier.
Heming admitted speaking
about their relationship:
“I think we’ve always had a lot of respect
for each other, which has really helped build a great foundation,”...“He makes me
laugh. He’s funny and he’s smart, and nuts, and always keeps me on my toes, so it’s fun.”
By the way, the new wife has an excellent relationship with the first wife of
the actor - Demi Moore. Moreover, the couple invited them with their older
daughters to their wedding, and the Willis and Moore family spent a period of isolation
during the coronavirus pandemic together.
“I have so much respect for her. I have
so much respect for how Bruce and Demi worked through their divorce to be
able to put their children first.”
"We've become like a tribe," Bruce Willis said
of the relationship his children have from both marriages and how his family has grown together.
Speaking about his relationship with Emma, the actor says she pulled him out of the dark place he
was in: "I went from 'F*** love' to 'Love is truly the answer.' I spent the last 10 years single
and , for the most part, unhappy,” he shared.
A new upsurge of success covered Willis in
2010. It happened thanks to several works. But at the same time, a new approach of
the actor to filmmaking can be traced.
The first is Kevin Smith's action
comedy Cop Out, where Bruce and Tracey Morgan played the role of police officers.
The film was shot in the genre of a police buddy movie, where a dynamic plot and well-woven humour
connected. But with humour, everything did not turn out so clearly: created “on the verge”, it
caused an ambiguous reaction from the audience.
In general, Willis' participation also became
ambiguous as a result: some appreciated his work in the film, and others believed that Bruce
had slipped into standard clichés and antics, flat acting and weak motivation. And the film has
become a set of stamps and caricature images.
The fuel to the fire was added by the conflict
between the director and the actor. Smith would later say that working with Willis broke him the
most in his career: his laziness, avoidance of work and self-willed behaviour on the set. So,
in a scene in a café, according to the script, two people were supposed to speak, but Bruce had
his own view on this and the script had to be urgently rewritten. In addition, the director
mentioned the actor's exorbitant appetites, pointing out that a significant part of
the budget went to Willis' honorarium.
He described their cooperation as a clash of "an
unstoppable force with an immovable object."
It worked very differently from
the way I used to work all my life. And our mannerisms did not go well with him ...
It seems to me that I was simply not his director. Maybe he just did not respect me in this status.
Smith did not invite Bruce to the party to mark the end of the filming of the picture, and among
other things, he made a toast in which he noted that he thanked all the participants in the
project, except Willis, and swore at the actor.
"I want to thank everyone for working on the
film, except for Bruce Willis, who is an f*****g a*****e! [too arrogant person]."
He stated in a book published in 2021 that darkness lives inside Bruce.
The film grossed $55 million with a budget of $30 million, which is considered
mediocre in the film business.
In "The Expendables" by Sylvester Stallone,
Willis was waiting for another cameo - a CIA agent nicknamed Mister "Church". For a
day of work, the actor received $500,000.
Despite the "Golden Raspberry", the film received
a sequel: The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3. Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger on
one square meter could not help blowing up the audience of action movie fans. And because the
film was expected to gross a very good box office: 274 million dollars. Bruce's role in
the second film expanded significantly.
The original line-up was joined by Jean-Claude
Van Damme, another veteran of the genre - Scott Adkins, Chuck Norris and the younger
generation in the person of Liam Hemsworth.
The old generation gave more gunpowder, which
is confirmed by the result of the rental: more than 340 million dollars and several positive
reviews from film critics. With over 239,000 votes, The Expendables 2 was rated 6.7 out of 10
on the Internet Movie Database, an international, freely editable movie database, and also ranked
among the top 10 films of the year by users.
Bruce didn't play in the third film. Exorbitant
appetite was to blame: he asked for $1 million for each day of filming, and a total of 4 days
was planned. This caused a negative reaction from Stallone, who shared his opinion on Twitter.
“Greed and laziness... a formula that inevitably leads to the collapse of a career,” he wrote.
The Hollywood Reporter's source apparently added:
“I think [Willis] was pretty surprised
he was replaced in 72 hours by Harrison Ford – a better actor, a much nicer person and
a more interesting direction for the film.”
Bruce remains one of the celebrities
who are actively involved in charity, despite the opinion of Kevin Smith.
He founded the Bruce Willis Foundation in 2000, whose mission statement is: “we’re raising
funds and promoting initiatives to help those who need it most. With an array of
fundraising events and volunteer projects, we welcome you to join our endeavors aimed
at making the world a better place”.
Among other things, he supports organizations such
as Children's Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition, Fisher House Foundation, Hope North.
The actor donated five of his motorcycles in 2012-2013, which he put up for auction
to help veterans and wounded US soldiers.
There has been a clear deterioration in the
quality of the actor's work since the late 2000s. He appeared in lower-budget films that
weren't geared toward cinema releases.
An episodic appearance that required less
than 15 minutes in production of screen time has become a new “trick” for the actor. At
first gradually, and then - that feature became almost the personal brand of the actor.
But, it was not all that bad. The bet was still made on blockbusters. The promising
project of the year was the action comedy “RED” by Robert Schwentke, in which
Willis got the main role. The film is an adaptation of the DC comic of the same name.
Frank Moses is a retired CIA operative who is on the run to save his girlfriend from
mercenaries. There is the same impenetrable saviour of the world, who has both a menacing
look and a lover - everything is the same.
Bruce was accompanied by Morgan
Freeman and John Malkovich, who play the protagonist's former partners.
By the way, the date of birth of Frank Moses in the film coincides with the real date
of birth of Bruce Willis - March 19, 1955.
The action and daring jokes were appreciated
by the audience: the film grossed $199 million, and it has an average rating of 7 out
of 10 on the sites of film critics.
Red was nominated for several film awards,
including the Golden Globe in the Best Film Musical or Comedy category, Satellite
Award, Artios Award, Saturn Award and others.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to cinema,
the actor is working hard on commercial projects. At the turn of the millennium, he took part
in print advertisements for police glasses, he advertised VISA credit cards in 2001. He ate
something tasty in a Japanese advertisement for the Subaru Legacy Outback in 2005, and he joked
in an advertisement for Sobieski vodka in 2010.
The crime drama “Setup” was released in
2011, where Bruce was accompanied by Ryan Phillippe and 50 Cent. Here the actor got a set
of nice ties and the role of mafia boss Biggs.
The film failed at the box office, even though
many viewers praised Bruce's performance well.
The actor did not disdain to advertise. He
got the role of Mr. Suave in an interesting commercial project from Nike, "The
Black Mamba"- apparently, which became a continuation of the role of "The Expendables".
"Catch .44" was another failure. Willis played a drug lord named Mel in Aaron Harvey's crime
thriller. Viewers complained about the insipid, tense and predictable story, and the
actor could not save the situation.
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Duane Byrge
said: "There's some fun, cheeky inside stuff – Bruce Willis wailing 'Respect' – which might make
for hilarity in talent agency screening rooms, but that's about the most favorable demographic
this low-caliber oddity will attract."
The next year was productive in
terms of the number of works, but not in terms of their quality, in the majority.
The world saw Bruce in the comedy-drama “Lay the Favorite” by Stephen Frears in January, which
tells about an ambitious woman in the world of gambling. The image of an enterprising young
lady went to Rebecca Hall, and Willis had to portray the owner of the bookmaker's office Dink
Haimowitz, who got the beautiful wife Catherine Zeta-Jones in the image of his spouse Tulip.
The film was not appreciated by critics. And the audience gave it an average score
of 1.8 out of 10, which is significant.
The action movie “The Cold Light of Day” directed
by Mabrouk El Mechri was released on April 6, where Willis played a CIA agent whose family
was embroiled in his professional showdown.
Analyzing the feedback from
the audience, we found this: when good actors are absolutely unable to draw
out the general worthlessness of the film.
“It wasn’t catchy” - everybody said.
It was followed by Wes Anderson's comedy-drama Moonrise Kingdom. Willis got
the role of Captain Sharp, investigating the disappearance of the main characters.
The movie turned out to be original and unique. It was slightly strange, but
undeniably special. And the role of Bruce came out quite bright and memorable: the
first dramatic image since The Sixth Sense.
"Moonrise Kingdom" received good reviews from
film critics. The average rating was 8 out of 10 on specialized sites. And the film received
several nominations, which did not bypass Willis. So, he won the category “Best Supporting
Actor” in the film award “Independent Spirit” and the Society of Film Critics of St. Louis.
David Barrett's crime drama "Fire with Fire" premiered on August 31, in which Willis shared the
lead roles with Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson. The role of Bruce here was not much different
from the “classic” one: the chief of police, who still believed in fair justice and tried to
cover the ass of the protagonist on the turns.
Some viewers noted that the actor did not
try hard here: insipid, lazy, not expressive, and it seemed that he played his role
for half a day. Between sandwiches.
Bruce appeared in several scenes, despite
the claimed lead role, furrowing his brows pretentiously and reasoning from corruption.
There was no epic, no meaningful action.
Already, there was a strong feeling that
Willis took up hack work for the sake of money, while not particularly straining.
One of the most iconic films of this period was Rian Johnson's sci-fi film Looper. The
actor was the first to be offered the lead role, and he immediately accepted. Willis' partners
on the set were Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played the role of Willis' hero
in his youth, and Emily Blunt.
By the way, the Gordon-Levitt had to spend
three hours every morning in the make-up chair to look more like Willis: he added special
features of McClane. In his performance, Joseph also drew on the work of Willis,
imitating his image in the star's latest roles.
It turned out well. Willis clearly
enjoyed shooting to his heart's content, and in his character, the audience did see
the aged, tired, but still scrappy Bruce, whom we loved in our youth.
The film received extremely positive reviews despite flaws in the
plot and motivation of the characters. The average rating was 8 out of 10, and James
Mottram of Total Film gave Looper 5 stars out of 5, concluding that it was "the best sci-fi movie
since Moon. The best time-travel yarn since 12 Monkeys. And one of the best films of 2012."
A scandal erupted in the media in 2012. It became known that the daughters of Willis and
Demi Moore refused to support their mother during the difficult period of her break up with Ashton
Kutcher. Willis was extremely outraged by the behaviour of his daughters. The actor threatened
them that if they continue to treat their mother so disrespectfully, he would block all their bank
accounts and leave them without a livelihood. Whether Willis did what he was going to do is
unknown, but the actor continues to communicate with his older daughters and his ex-wife.
End of Career
Willis was awarded the title of Commander of the
French Order of Arts and Letters, in honour of the thirtieth anniversary of his acting career and
for his great contribution to cinema, in 2013.
Bruce is gradually losing ground
despite the audience's love and faith in the ageless favorite hero.
Everything played against the actor - the same type of characters, in which
fatigue and a superficial attitude are felt, the actor's attempt to keep up not with the role,
but with the dollar, a scandalous reputation.
The actor's attempt to get back to his career
is clearly visible in 2013. There were the fifth part of "Die Hard", the second part of
"RED", and the continuation of "Sin City".
The iconic but aged John McClane was extremely
negatively welcomed by critics, although the picture collected its jackpot of $304 million. The
film received only 2.8 out of 10 on review sites.
Willis' other "iconic" films
awaited a similar fate.
And everything in which he starred from this
period was very coldly perceived by the audience. Such was the fate of the films "The Prince"
(2014), "Vice" (2015), "Extraction" (2015), "Precious Cargo" (2016), "Marauders"
(2016), "Once Upon a Time in Venice" (2017 ) and "The First Kill" (2017) and other
films that were released during this period.
The actor has shown signs of decline in
recent years, according to those who have worked with Willis on his recent films. In an
interview with The Times in May of this year, nearly two dozen people who were on set with the
actor expressed concern about Willis' well-being.
Willis' team made sure that Bruce's
participation in the filming was limited to two days, and the actor himself, according to
the contracts, was supposed to be on the set for no more than 8 hours. But, he barely
stayed for four, according to sources.
Willis tried to reanimate himself in
the theatre. So, he made his Broadway debut in Stephen King's adaptation of
Misery, as writer Paul Sheldon in 2015. The show opened at the Broadhurst Theater
and caused a flurry of negative reviews from critics, who described the actor's
performance as "empty" and "inert".
Alexis Soloski, The Guardian:
Willis, though well-cast (taciturn suffering has more or less become his thing), just
doesn’t seem particularly endangered. His Sheldon is a little weary, a little resigned, but not
especially like a man in mortal jeopardy.
The actor has not completely lost his grip
by 2018. He deservedly took jabs as well as he gave them on the hot seat for The
Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis.
The most highly rated film of the last decade can
be called Motherless Brooklyn by Edward Norton, in which the actor starred with
Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe.
The film was released in 2019 with a story
about a detective with Tourette syndrome who was investigating the murder
of his partner. That partner named Frank Mina was played by Bruce. However,
he played only five minutes, but not bad.
Other second-rate films with Willis in the
roles and on the poster came after that. Among them are "Survive the Night", "Hard Kill",
"Breach" in 2020, "American Siege", "Out of Death" in 2021, "A Day to Die" in 2022 and others.
However, none of them received critical acclaim.
The directors of second-rate films simply
used Willis's reputation to get at least some attention paid to their films, and his
participation, even for a few minutes, ensured that those films could be sold internationally.
Willis' collaboration with director Randall Emmett played a big role: crossing their paths
was the worst choice for Willis's career, but the best decision for his bank account.
Randall has developed a "one-shot" movie system, in which he invites people who want to spruce up
their resumes with the experience of working with veteran stars. The latter only need
to work for a couple of days for $1 million and share their photo for the poster.
The star usually appears only in three scenes: at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of
the film. In Hard Kill, Willis is on the screen for a total of seven minutes; in Extraction,
eight, and Survive the Night, just under 10.
In recent years, Bruce has acted in 29 films, 20
of which were owned by Randall. At the same time, 16 of them have a rating of less than
10% on the sites of film critics.
But the reputation began to suffer.
The effectiveness of films from sci-fi dystopias to imitations of gangsters has
been that they require the actor to do one thing only: be Bruce Willis. And it doesn’t
matter if the actor played well or badly, the implementation of projects rested
on a disgusting script and direction.
Bruce Willis was nominated for his performance
in Edward Drake's Apex, as he was for all movies he appeared in, in 2021, in the category
The Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie at the Golden Raspberry Awards.
Bruce did not forget about advertising. He walked around the office of the Internet provider
Sky Broadband in a striped bathrobe in 2012, and his commercial work with Honda and
Kowa Coffee CM was released in 2014. He epically drank Hell Energy Drink in 2018,
and the world got acquainted with the epic appearance of the actor in the Die Hard battery
commercial and Hell Energy Coffee in 2020.
Bruce's work has suffered greatly in
recent years, despite his best efforts.
Actress Lala Kent, with whom Bruce starred in
the 2020 film “Hard Kill”, said that he forgot about lines several times during filming.
In addition, there was another incident during filming. Willis unexpectedly fired
a gun loaded with a blank on the wrong cue, according to two people familiar with the
incident who were not authorized to comment. No one was injured. The film’s producer disputed
that the incident occurred, but the alleged discharge left actors and crew members shaken.
Director Mike Burns, who worked with Bruce on Out of Death, said that he had
to fix the actor's lines a lot.
“After the first day of working with Bruce,
I could see it firsthand and I realized that there was a bigger issue at stake here and
why I had been asked to shorten his lines,”
Burns did not want to continue working with
Willis after that experience, but the actor's agents persuaded him, arguing that McClane was
better. But, the director noted, filming “Wrong Place” in 2021: “I thought he was worse … I’m
not going to do any other Bruce Willis movies.’
He was followed by Jesse V. Johnson,
who, after working on "White Elephant", also refused to continue working
with the actor on other projects.
“We are all Bruce Willis fans, and the
arrangement felt wrong and ultimately a rather sad end to an incredible career, one
that none of us felt comfortable with.”
One of the members of the White Elephant
film crew admitted that there were times when an actor was given a line, but he
simply did not understand what it meant. “He was just being puppeted,” he concluded.
The LA Times reports that an actor traveling with Willis would feed the actor lines through
an earpiece, and most action sequences featuring Willis’ character were shot using a body double.
Most of the action scenes, especially those involving staged shooting, were filmed
using a stunt double instead of Willis.
It was actively discussed on the
Internet whether the actor was aware of his diagnosis in recent years, working
in films where, according to The Times, he was paid $2 million for a few days of work.
Even though Bruce had a large personal team that protected him from prying eyes and
anxiety, it could not save him from gossip.
Terry Martin, production manager for The
White Elephant, recalled the collaboration: “He just looked so lost, and he would say,
‘I’ll do my best.’ He always tried his best,”
The actor's family officially announced in 2022
that Willis was ending his career due to aphasia, a brain damage disorder that affects cognition.
“This is a really challenging time for our family, and we are so appreciative of your continued love,
compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his
fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, "Live
it up" and together we plan to do just that".
Fans and colleagues supported Bruce.
One of the actors who sent a touching message to Bruce as soon as he heard
the news was actor Sylvester Stallone, writing: "We've known each other
for a long time, I'm praying for the best for you and your beautiful family."
And after a while, Willis' wife published the first photos and videos of the actor after his
retirement. The indestructible hero looks happy.
After the news about Willis's illness, the
organizers of the Golden Raspberry anti-award withdrew the award from the actor, which he
received for the "worst acting job" in the film "Cosmic Sin". Bruce Willis became the winner of
this comic awards ceremony in 2021. The organizers could not decide which of the latest works with
the actor deserves the prize, and dedicated a specially created nomination to him - “The worst
performance of Bruce Willis in films of 2021”. Among the eight films submitted for consideration
by the jury, "Cosmic Sin" won. But in the end, the co-founders of the award said that due
to Willis's diagnosis, it would be simply tactless to give him such an award.
Thus ended a whole era in the world of the film industry. An era that has
become a cult for millions of people.
And even though not all of Willis's works
have become successful, we are still happy to rewatch some of them with popcorn in the
evenings. Well, because each of us needs a hero who blows the asses of the bad guys.
But if you want to know even more about the iconic role of John McClane click here on this
icon. I guarantee you will see your favourite movie from a completely new perspective. What
is the uniqueness of the first part of "Die Hard"? And why does the main character
end up as a guest in his own franchise? Follow the link and find out everything.
It was Biographer. Thank you for being with us, like, and do not miss new videos.
Bye Bye.
