'Pain In My A**': Bruce Willis' Behavior Pissed Off $86M Movie Director
It was not easy to work with such a talented actor.
Bruce Willis became famous for his roles in action movies, the most famous of which were Die Hard and The Fifth Element.
Willis was one of the most sought after and recognizable actors until he sadly retired from acting due to aphasia.
Despite the fact that Bruce is recognized as an outstanding actor, it has always been known that he was difficult to work with for both other actors and directors.
One of these directors was Antoine Fuqua, who directed the movie Tears of the Sun. The director spoke rather harshly about the collaboration with the actor, calling him "pain in my a**":
"We got along off camera, but shooting [Tears Of The Sun] we just didn't get along. Some men don't gel when it comes to work, you have different work ethics, different opinions, different points of view, different methods of filmmaking, and we didn't gel."
Director Kevin Smith also felt that his action comedy Cop Out suffered from Bruce Willis' behavior.
Kevin Smith did not like working with big Hollywood studios because of their constant interference in the filming process. But for the movie Cop Out he made an exception.
Smith liked the fact that Bruce Willis, who had always been the director's favorite actor since he saw Die Hard, was signed on to play the lead.
According to Kevin Smith, Bruce Willis was impossible to work with from the first day of shooting. Bruce frankly did not like the script and completely ignored the lines.
At first, Kevin Smith tried to get along with Willis. But when the actor simply began to remain silent in scenes with other actors, Smith tried to get the actor to follow the script.
The result of the communication was a conflict that, according to many involved in the filming, ended up ruining the movie.
"It was difficult. I've never been involved in a situation like that where one component is not in the box at all. It was f**kin' soul-crushing," the director once shared in the interview.
Ultimately, both Tears of the Sun and Cop Out flopped at the box office, grossing $86 million and $55 million respectively.
Sources: BBC, WTF With Marc Maron