In case you missed it, Bruce Willis retired from acting this week after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects a person’s ability to speak, write and understand language. Today, the LA Times released an article which detailed the last few years for Willis. He made LOADS of really low-budget, low-quality movies that led him getting his own category in the Razzies last year called ‘Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Bruce Willis Movie’.

The article printed some stories about Bruce Willis’ mental decline while making those movies, and they are absolutely heartbreaking. Here’s a few I’ll copy & paste below:

In interviews with The Times this month, nearly two dozen people who were on set with the actor expressed concern about Willis’ well-being.

These individuals questioned whether the actor was fully aware of his surroundings on set, where he was often paid $2 million for two days of work, according to documents viewed by The Times. Filmmakers described heart-wrenching scenes as the beloved “Pulp Fiction” star grappled with his loss of mental acuity and an inability to remember his dialogue. An actor who traveled with Willis would feed the star his lines through an earpiece, known in the industry as an “earwig,” according to several sources. Most action scenes, particularly those that involved choreographed gunfire, were filmed using a body double as a substitute for Willis.

…

In one alleged incident two years ago on a Cincinnati set of the movie “Hard Kill,” Willis unexpectedly fired a gun loaded with a blank on the wrong cue.

…

“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 said. On that film, Burns was tasked with compressing all of Willis’ scenes — about 25 pages of dialogue — into one day of filming, which he said was exceedingly difficult.

…

Willis’ longtime management team — including a powerhouse group of agents at the Creative Artists Agency — made sure that his film shoots were limited to two days. The actor’s contracts stipulated that he was not to work more than eight hours a day, but he often stayed for only four, according to production sources.

…

Filmmakers proceeded to quickly film the actor’s parts, even as Willis questioned where he was: “I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?” two crew members said he asked aloud.

…

“He just looked so lost, and he would say, ‘I’ll do my best.’ He always tried his best,” Terri Martin, the production supervisor on “White Elephant,” said Wednesday.

Damn. Clearly there was a lot more happening behind the scenes than any of us could have known at the time. Fair play to Willis for powering through and making those movies in his condition, at the age of 67 no less. One of the all-time legends of the game. I mean just get a load of this catalogue of classics he’s left for us to enjoy:

A few rewatches on the horizon I think. Thanks for memories, Bruce! Let’s hope his condition is managed and/or improves as best it can during his retirement.

For a look at details on the unmade Pulp Fiction prequel, click HERE. If only.