LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bruce Willis, who has now retired from acting because of his dementia, was once a Hollywood favorite. Throughout his career, he had essayed roles in several movies and carved a niche for himself. While he found his coveted Hollywood fame after portraying John McClane in the ‘Die Hard’ series, he lost out on a significant movie because of miscounsel from his former agent.
According to IMDb, Bruce Willis was once so frustrated by his team that he fired them all. And the reason for the firing of staff? Apparently, his then-agent didn’t like the proposal and counseled him against accepting the role. The role of Canadian intelligence operative David ‘Moose’ Caravaggio which was offered to him, was later played by Willem Dafoe. The Anthony Minghella directorial war epic then went on to win nine Oscars in that year out of twelve nominations. Frustration on Willis’s part is pretty understandable.
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'I just didn’t get it'
Bruce Willis also lost out on another major movie previously in the 1970s. He once told to New York Times, as reported by People, that he did not understand the concept of the movie, “I just didn’t get it.” Talking about the Demi Moore-starrer highest-grossing film of 1970, Willis said, “I said, ‘Hey, the guy’s dead. How are you gonna have a romance?’ Famous last words.” Later, however, he went on to play the role of a ghost in ‘The Sixth Sense’.
'He carted him around'
After firing the manager, he hired someone else. However, as the actor was diagnosed with aphasia in 2020, questions arose regarding how his then agency was handling the ‘The Fifth Element’ actor. According to a report published by Los Angeles Times, the actor starred in around 20 films in four years before his diagnosis. This sparked concern among the fans. According to LA Times, “They [the actor’s team — which is led by his assistant-turned-handler Stephen J. Eads] stated that he was happy to be there, but that it would be best if we could finish shooting him by lunch and let him go early,” reminisced director Jesse V Johnson of ‘Hard Kill’.
Willis even showed signs of forgetfulness then as two crew members from the 2020 movie recalled, “I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?” Another crew member said to the publication, “The guy guided Bruce everywhere,” before adding, “He carted him around and kept an eye on him.”
