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Bruce Willis rose to fame after his breakout role in "Die Hard", and since then he has been in several fan-favorite films spanning a plethora of genres. But what many fans of his don't know about are all the iconic roles that the actor didn't take.In an interview with The New York Times, the actor revealed that he turned down a huge project in the 90s, simply because he did not understand the premise. 1990 romance "Ghost" could have looked a lot different if Bruce Willis didn't turn down the role that eventually went to Patrick Swayze. When asked about his decision, Willis clarified, “I said, ‘Hey, the guy’s dead. How are you gonna have a romance?’ Famous last words.”
Why Did Bruce Willis Turn Down 'Ghost'?
Willis has several major films under his belt, cementing his status as a Hollywood leading man. His films span genres, action, sci-fi, comedy, horror, romance, he's really done it all. Fans may know him from movies like "Die Hard", "Fifth Element", "Sixth Sense", "Pulp Fiction", "Death Becomes Her", or "Unbreakable." It is rare that an actor is able to succeed in that many areas. He even has had a bit of a music career with 2 studio albums under his belt.
Bruce Willis Aphasia Diagnosis
Bruce Willis recently shared that he plans to quit acting due to his ongoing aphasia condition. The condition affects communication and is often associated with patients who have suffered from strokes. The 67-year-old actor has been forced to cut down his dialogue and scenes that require monologues have been cut entirely.
To help the actor remember his lines and direction for a scene, in recent years he has been wearing an earwig, an earpiece designed to not be seen by the camera.
This news has been met with an outpouring of support from his fans and friends in the industry. Additionally, the news has clarified past events where Willis' actions seemed off compared to his usual behavior. In an interview during the press tour for 'Red 2', Willis seemed off. When asked where his favorite filming location was for the film, he mentioned a city that had not been one of the film's locations. He also seemed to push back on the interview itself, seemingly not wanting to be a part of it at all.
Fans are looking back on this moment differently, what once seemed like a momentary change in character, now is contextualized with an ongoing struggle. Conditions like aphasia can cause some days to be far worse than others, and it serves as a reminder to not judge someone's behavior so quickly.
Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis infamously fought during the filming of "Cop Out", a comedy-action film also including Tracey Morgan. In an interview with Marc Maron, Smith said "Everyone knows who it is. Put it this way, remember the really funny guy in the movie? It ain’t him. He’s a dream. Tracy Morgan, I would lay down in traffic for. Were it not for Tracy, I might’ve killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie." His comments surprised many people, and Willis even responded. "Poor Kevin. He's just a whiner, you know? We had some personal issues about how we approached work. I don't have an answer for him. I'm never going to call him out and lay him out in public. Sometimes you just don't get along."
They both were eventually able to patch things up, and when Bruce Willis' condition was announced, Smith took to Twitter to comment on how he regretted his earlier statements. "Long before any of the Cop Out stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan - so this is really heartbreaking to read. He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him. I feel like an asshole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family," Smith said.
Turning Down Classics
Not only has Bruce Willis turned down "Ghost" for not understanding the plot, but he also has a brief history of turning down other big films. This can either be for scheduling reasons or for simply not understanding the project's value. Willis wisely turned down "Fatal Attraction" because he was filming "Die Hard" which developed into a breakout role. But other times it was less amicable. The actor notably fired his team for instructing him not to audion for the drama "The English Patient", which received significant Oscar Buzz that year.