Bruce Willis’ teams have been noticing signs of illness for years, says website

Although the news that Bruce Willis, 67, will be stepping back from his career due to his diagnosis of aphasia has surprised many fans, people who worked with the actor have suspected that there was something wrong with the artist for years.

The US website Los Angeles Times interviewed a group of 20 people who had been working alongside Willis on filming, who reported that he was already with deteriorating cognitive abilities, forgetting his lines, the reason for being on set and even even firing a scenographic weapon at the wrong time.

Interviewees reported that the star was reminded of her lines through a headset, known as “tesourinha”. In addition, most of the action scenes, especially those involving scenographic shots, would have been done with stuntmen.

Another source reported that two years ago, on the set of the movie “Hard to Kill” (2020), Willis reportedly fired a loaded gun with a bullet at the wrong time. According to two interviewees, no one was injured, but the incident should not be discussed.

In the plot, he played the father of actress Lala Kent. The gun was supposed to be fired after a certain line from him, which would be the cue for Kent to duck. However, more than once he forgot to say the line and fired the blank. “The first time, I said okay, let’s start over,” says the actress.

Mike Burns, director of the movie “Out of Death”, did not know the severity of the actor’s condition until June 2020, when he directed the plot. “After the first day working with Bruce, I was able to see it first hand and I realized that there was a bigger problem at play and why I was asked to shorten his lines,” he reported.

“Looks like we need to lower Bruce’s page count by about 5 pages,” a director wrote in an email, also from June 2020, to the screenwriter. “We also need to shorten his dialogue a bit so that there are no monologues.”

The director also said that in October 2021, while filming “Wrong Place” he noticed that Willis was even worse. “After we finished [as gravações], I said, ‘I’m done. I’m not doing any other Bruce Willis’ movies. I’m relieved he’s taking time off.”

In addition, two members of the film crew for the movie “White Elephant” reported that he questioned why he was on the set of the film, which was shot last year. “We weren’t angry, but it was more like, ‘How can we keep Bruce’s image from getting tarnished?’. Someone was saying the line to him and he couldn’t understand the meaning. He was a puppet,” the source said.

UNDERSTAND THE CASE

The statement about the diagnosis of aphasia was shared this Wednesday (30), and was directed to Willis’ fans. “We would like to share that our beloved Bruce is experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia which is affecting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with great consideration Bruce is stepping back from the career that has meant so much to him. “

“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, compassion and support. We are going through this as a strong family unit and we would like to bring this to the fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you mean to him,” the family said in a statement.

Actress Demi Moore, 59, ex-wife of Bruce Willis, 67, also spoke out on social media about the actor’s decision to step away from his career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disease that affects speech and cognitive abilities.

In the publication, Moore republished the text made by Rumer Willis, 33, shared on Wednesday afternoon (30). The actress added in the caption that “this is a truly challenging time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, compassion and support.”

A successful actor in Hollywood, Willis burst into career when he debuted in the television series “The Cat and the Mouse”, broadcast between 1985 and 1989 in the United States. Another role that raised him to fame was as John McClane in the action film “Die Hard” (1988), his first starring role.

Over the course of his career, Willis’ films have grossed over $5 billion worldwide. He has been nominated for five Golden Globes and three Emmys.