Bruce WIllis' retirement from acting was announced via several of his family members' Instagram accounts yesterday. The 67-year-old has acted in more than 70 films, including the iconic Pulp Fiction and Die Hard series, but has had to take a step back due to an aphasia diagnosis - a brain disorder that causes those affected by it to lose the ability to communicate and comprehend language.
According to a report posted by the LA Times, it seems some may have been taking advantage of Willis' medical condition and trying to milk as many films as possible out of the actor before his condition worsened, which would be a sickening case of abuse if it's true.
The report states that directors, film crew, and other actors had been noticing WIllis' declining health since 2020 and cut down the number of shooting days and lines of dialogue the actor had to better accommodate him.
The report indicates that Willis' handlers and management team frequently lied to film crews in order to guarantee him more roles, which in turn lined their own pockets. His co-producer Stephen J. Eads would apparently guide Willis around on set and downplayed any concerns about the actor's health. It seems likely this was done so that he could continue to earn large sums of money from multi-picture deals with the star attached.
Actor Adam Huel Potter was also reportedly given roles in films alongside Willis while also feeding him his lines through an earpiece while being paid $4,150 dollars a week. As well as marring the end of Willis' acting career, people were placed in danger due to his worsening condition. He allegedly misfired a prop gun at actor Lala Kent during the filming of Hard Kill, a picture which Eads was paid $200,000 to work on. Fortunately, the gun was loaded with blanks and nobody was hurt, unlike Alec Baldwin's misfire last year which led to him accidentally killing cinematographer Halyana Hutchins.
Crew members also claim that Willis was confused on the set of White Elephant, where he said, "I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?" Now that he's retired he can avoid this alleged abuse and enjoy his time with his family while focusing on his health.