Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with brain condition, will stop acting
Bruce Willis has reportedly been struggling with cognitive issues on the sets of his films for years - and even needed an earpiece to feed him lines - long before his family announced on Wednesday that the famed actor had been diagnosed with a brain condition.
In a statement on social media, Willis' family told his fans that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a brain condition that affects his ability to understand language, and will therefore be stepping away from acting.
But an unnamed source told Page Six his declining cognitive ability had been an open secret in Hollywood as the actor repeatedly had trouble acting in his films.
'Everybody knew, the cast and crew,' the unnamed source said, adding that Willis was 'using earpieces, hearing things, for them to feed him the lines,' and it 'was increasingly difficult to have him on screen.'
He said that films actually had to be made closer to where Willis resided with his family - who, the source said, has been taking care of the 67-year-old actor - to make productions easier.
And in at least one production, the source said, producers began using a body double to increase Willis' screen time, while in another his screen time was 'whittled down,' with the actor shooting on set for only three days.
The source said: 'It was becoming super obvious he was having trouble ... he could not act anymore.'
The famed actor can even be seen in a scene in his new movie American Siege, which was filmed in 2020, wearing an earpiece. This was a full two years before the family's announcement that Willis has aphasia.
Willis had previously been seen using an earpiece to feed him lines in his Broadway debut in Misery in 2015, an an unnamed insider also told OK! Magazine
He was also reportedly struggling during the filming of M. Night Shyamalan's 2019 film Glass.
'While filming Glass, staffers worked around him by cutting and editing and having him overdub lines because he struggled to remember and/or deliver them,' they told the publication, according to the New Zealand Herald.
'In most scenes on Glass he's hooded, and they used stand-in and body doubles to replace him. On set, he wouldn't smile and was always chaperoned by an assistant to guide him while walking.'
The source also said at the time that Willis had sold his New York property to spend more time with his wife and children in Los Angeles, and said that his wife, as well as ex-wife Demi Moore, were working together to take care of the famed actor.
'His wife Emma has helped Demi Moore and the children Bruce shares with his ex-wife to make truces because they know he's fading,' the unnamed source told the magazine in January 2021.
'Between Demi and Emma, the family has always ensured Bruce has the support and care he might need at any given time,' the insider said.
They added, 'The good news is that although there is the real concern of dementia fears, it largely has not impacted his ability to work in Hollywood – and in true super hero form – he won't slow down because new technology like earpieces allows actors of his caliber not to skip a beat.'
But in recent years, the New Zealand Herald reports, die hard fans of the actor have noticed he was taking more roles in straight-to-video releases.
This year, Page Six reports, Willis was given his own category at the Razzies - a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements - for the 'worst movies of 2021' after he starred in eight critically-panned films.
One of his films, Out of Death, earned a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The parody awards show apologized to the actor following the announcement of his diagnosis on Wednesday, tweeting: 'The Razzies are truly sorry for #BruceWillis' diagnosed condition.
'Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021. Our best wishes to Bruce and family.'
That same weekend, Emma posted a tribute to her husband of 13 years in honor of their anniversary, sharing a photo of them at their 2009 wedding.
'13 years ago, those wedding speeches really sent us over the edge,' she wrote.
Emma also posted her own birthday tribute to Bruce - a photo montage she created, writing: 'I don't just love him, I really, really like him.'
Willis shares three children - Rumer, 33, Scout, 30 and Tallulah, 28, with Moore, to whom he was married from 1987 to 2000. He also has two daughters, Mabel, 9, and Evelyn, 7, with his wife Emma, 43.
On Wednesday his family wrote in a statement on social media: 'To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.
'As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.'
The statement added: '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,' the statement, which was signed by his wife, model Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore and all of his children, concluded.
His daughters Rumer and Scout Willis were spotted out in Los Angeles on Wednesday after revealing the diagnosis.
According to the National Aphasia Association, the condition is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.
The association reports the condition is always due to injury to the brain, most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals.
Head trauma, brain tumors or from infections can also cause aphasia.
Provided by Daily Mail Bruce Willis was a hit in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction
The only treatment is speech and language therapies, with involvement from family members - but even with that, the condition could worsen.
It is currently unclear what lead to Willis' diagnosis.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Willis' publicist for comment.
The announcement marks an end to Willis' decades-long career, during which he has earned a Golden Globe award and two Emmys.
Willis' acting career began with small just roles in television shows like Miami Vice and The Twilight Zone in the early 1980s, according to IMDB.
He started gaining attention thanks to his starring role opposite Cybill Shepherd in the ABC series Moonlighting, which ran from 1985 to 1989, but his breakout role was really as John McClane in the hit film Die Hard, which premiered in 1988 and led to six sequels.
'I think it was his first big film and he wanted to make it right, he wanted to make it work,' co-star Reginald VelJohnson told People at a 2018 30th anniversary screening of the film. 'He was more concerned with how to do the role rather than anything else.'
'This was his first movie, and he was the star of a huge blockbuster and it was very well advertised that he was making $5 million, which at the time was unbelievable,' Bonnie Bedelia, who played his wife Holly Gennaro McClane in the film.
'And everybody was like, "Why would you pay $5 million to an untried movie star?" But boy, someone was really smart.'
Willis went on to star in films like Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys and the superhero film, Unbreakable, for which he reprised his role over a decade later in the 2016 film Split and the 2019
Provided by Daily Mail Willis became a major action star with his 1988 breakthrough film Die Hard film Glass.
Over the course of his four-decade career, Variety reports, his movies have grossed over $5 billion worldwide.
He has also appeared in a number of television shows, including the beloved classic Friends, for which he won an Emmy, and as the main voice actor in Bruno the Kid.
Willis has also recently completed multiple projects that are in post-production, including Vendetta, Fortress: Sniper’s Eye and White Elephant.
It’s unclear what will happen with Fortress 3, which is currently in pre-production.