Hollywood has been shaken for a couple of very different reasons over the course of the past few days. The first was the slap heard around the world. In case you didn't already know, which seems almost impossible, Will Smith took to the stage to hit Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about the I, Robot actor's wife. Every tweet published since then has been about in some way, or at least that's how it feels.
A few days after that event, Bruce Willis's family unexpectedly issued a statement revealing the iconic actor would be retiring from the movie business. The reason for Willis's sudden retirement is the revelation that he has been diagnosed with aphasia. Aphasia is a condition that leads those who have it to struggle to understand and express speech. There is currently no known cure for it.
In light of Willis's diagnosis and the reveal that he has retired from acting, the team behind The Razzies has rescinded the award given to him less than a week ago. “The Razzies have made the decision to rescind the Razzie Award given to Bruce Willis, due to his recently disclosed diagnosis,” the awards' co-founders confirmed in a statement, reports The Hollywood Reporter. “If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.”
The Razzies are an award ceremony that runs on the same weekend as the Oscars each year but highlights what are believed to be some of the worst movies and performances of the last year rather than the best. This year, the worst performance category was dedicated to Willis. All seven nominees were movies he starred in over the course of the past 12 months. Willis's performance in Cosmic Sin was the winner of the now rescinded award.
Razzies co-founders John Wilson and Mo Murphy also took the opportunity to take back another Razzie nomination from all the way back in 1980. One given to Shelley Duvall for her performance in The Shining. New details have come to light recently revealing Stanley Kubrick's treatment of Duvall on set affected her performance. “Duvall’s performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her throughout the production. We would like to take this opportunity to rescind her 1980 nomination as well.”