Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCommonwealth GamesCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Entertainment

Bruce Willis reportedly battling memory loss

11 Mar, 2022 05:18 AM4 minutes to read
Bruce Willis stars in the sci-fi action flick Cosmic Sin. Photo / Supplied

Bruce Willis stars in the sci-fi action flick Cosmic Sin. Photo / Supplied

news.com.au

Iconic action movie star Bruce Willis is reportedly battling early-onset memory loss, and is churning out straight-to-video releases to earn as much money as possible while he's still able to work.

The Die Hard star's health has been the subject of renewed speculation online in recent weeks, as fans question the 66-year-old's appearance in dozens of low-budget, critically panned films.

According to IMDB, the former A-lister is starring in no fewer than 11 virtually unknown releases in 2022 – Fortress 3, Paradise City, White Elephant, Wire Room, Corrective Measures, Die Like Lovers, The Wrong Place, Fortress: Sniper's Eye, Vendetta, A Day to Die and Gasoline Alley.

Popular YouTube channel Half in the Bag discussed the phenomenon in a video last month titled "The Bruce Willis Fake Movie Factory", which touched on industry rumours that Willis is "fed lines" through an earpiece.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Matt Eskandari, who directed several recent Willis films including Hard Kill, Survive the Night and Trauma Centre, chimed into the comments section of the video to address the memory loss rumours.

Bruce Willis in the 1988 film Die Hard. Photo / Supplied
Bruce Willis in the 1988 film Die Hard. Photo / Supplied

"I read somewhere that Bruce Willis has dementia, that's he's not really aware of what's going on around him," one user wrote.

Eskandari replied, "Yes this is true my guy I directed four movies with him so I know first hand. It's [a] sad situation seeing a legend like Bruce deteriorating right in front of your eyes. I saw it while working with him [the] last few years."

Replying to another user who said Willis had "fallen from grace" after working with directors like Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma and Wes Anderson, Eskandari wrote bluntly, "He has dementia."

Gossip magazine OK! first published rumours in January 2021 that Willis had been battling memory loss, and was spending more time with his family.

That came after Willis was booted from a Los Angeles chemist for not wearing a mask during Covid-19. He later apologised, saying in a statement that it was "an error in judgment".

Related articles

Entertainment

Al Pacino on The Godfather: 'It's taken me a lifetime to accept it and move on'

11 Mar 12:18 AM
Travel

Kimberley Crossman's top travel tips and must-visit LA spots

09 Mar 12:53 AM
Entertainment

Life after Hollywood: Cameron Diaz on exploitation, celebrity trappings

08 Mar 11:57 PM
Entertainment

With Turning Red, a big red panda helps break a glass ceiling

11 Mar 07:00 PM

But an "insider" told OK! that Willis "simply forgot" to bring the bandana hanging around his neck up to his face. "Those close to Bruce have been helping him out, and trying to maintain the secret," they said.

Bruce Willis is allegedly suffering from dementia and uses an earpiece so someone can feed him his lines right before he says them. Have heard this from several people who have been involved in a couple of these movies

— Dan Przygoda (@dprzygoda) February 16, 2022

They said while he had not been formally diagnosed with early-onset dementia, "he's been waging a personal war for a number of years".

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

According to the report, Willis was trying to spend more time with his wife Emma Heming Willis and their young daughters Mabel and Evelyn, as well as making amends with ex-wife Demi Moore and their adult children Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.

"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. "It's sad that people are making fun of him."

According to OK!, Willis was seen using an earpiece to feed him lines as far back as 2015 during his Broadway debut in Misery. The insider claimed he was seriously struggling during filming of M. Night Shyamalan's 2019 film Glass.

Read More

  • What it was like to see Bruce Willis get roasted - ...
  • Covid 19 coronavirus: Bruce Willis reportedly 'refuses' ...
  • Covid 19 coronavirus: Bruce Willis admits not wearing ...
  • Karl Puschmann: The perplexing paradox of Bruce Willis ...

"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.

"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."

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 calibre not to skip a beat."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Peter Andre reacts to Kiwi radio star's Mysterious Girl performance

17 Aug 01:18 AM
Entertainment

Academy apologises 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather booed off stage

17 Aug 12:00 AM
Entertainment

Former Matatini champions fill Rome's ancient Colosseum with waiata

Entertainment

Shock reactions to first prominent person of colour in GoT franchise

16 Aug 10:02 PM
Entertainment

Flash star seeks help for 'mental health issues'

16 Aug 09:29 PM

Most Popular

Adrian Orr fronts media after RBNZ hikes OCR by 50bp
Business

Adrian Orr fronts media after RBNZ hikes OCR by 50bp

17 Aug 02:00 AM
'Incredibly unsettling': Police update on suitcase homicide mystery
New Zealand|Crime

'Incredibly unsettling': Police update on suitcase homicide mystery

17 Aug 01:32 AM
Premium
NZ's highest paid CEO: Fletcher boss takes home $6.58m
Business

NZ's highest paid CEO: Fletcher boss takes home $6.58m

17 Aug 01:04 AM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP