Bruce Willis retires from acting

[McNutt]

His family announced that he is suffering from aphasia, which is a type of brain damage that limits a person's ability to express or understand speech.

Bruce had been completely phoning in movies for the past few years, with a constant barrage of movies made around his one- or two-day availability. I watched Cosmic Sin just to see how bad it could be and it was really bad. It didn't look like Willis had any idea what was going on in this movie and most of his very few lines were generic that didn't advance the plot at all.

This is sad news. I guess he was just trying to make a little more money for the retirement he knew he would be forced into.

[Daehawk]

I guess he was just trying to make a little more money for the retirement he knew he would be forced into.

That was my thought too. I didn't realize he was 67 either. He never looked old to me. I mean 67 isn't old old but he looked younger.

[Rumpy]

Whatcha talkin' about Willis?

Sorry, had to...

But wow, that sounds serious.

I've actually read a novel recently in which the main character has aphasia. In their case, he had a brain tumor affecting parts of the brain and its functions, had difficulty understanding speech or even processing it, and anything he tried to say would come out with the wrong words.

[Blackhawk]

Now I feel bad for making fun of his micro-appearances in that other thread.

Maybe I need a Will Smithing.

[Jaymann]

[Octavious]

He's worth 250 million give or take so the phoned in movies seem kind of pointless, but shrug... Sucks I wouldn't wish that on most people. (I wouldn't say anyone as I can think of at least one. )

[ImLawBoy]

I had a bout with speech aphasia one night when I had a TIA (mini stroke) about 8-9 years ago. I understood what was coming in, but I couldn't make my mouth say the words I wanted. It's intensely frustrating and scary (especially for someone who talks for a living, as Bruce and I do). I only had to deal with it over the course of about 4-5 hours - I can't imagine how bad it would be to lead my whole life that way.

[Rumpy]

Eek, that sounds horrible ILB! Come to think of it, I think the same thing might have happened to my Dad when he had a TIA as well. He had to have therapy to help him retrain his brain. Almost sounds like a form of alzheimers.

[LordMortis]

Will that replace Batman slapping Robin?

Also, sad for Willis.

[gilraen]

He's worth 250 million give or take so the phoned in movies seem kind of pointless, but shrug...

For someone who probably truly loves being an actor, it might have been a last-ditch attempt to not give up on it.

[Daehawk]

The meme makes me think Will could get a job being door greet / bouncer at a masochist bar.

[Unagi]

This is very sad news.

Cheers to Bruce Willis. We had a lot of fun with him over many years. From Moonlighting to Die Hard to Pulp Fiction.

[Daehawk]

First time I saw or heard of him was Moonlighting. I liked him...didn't like her. He has done so many movies I loved. Id stick with The 5th Element as my favorite.

[Drazzil]

This is very sad news.

Cheers to Bruce Willis. We had a lot of fun with him over many years. From Moonlighting to Die Hard to Pulp Fiction.

[hepcat]

I was ridiculing his career recently, but I think I may understand why he was doing so many cheap walk ons now. He probably wants to make sure his family is well taken care of. Hats off to him, if so. I hope he beats this, but I suspect it’s not easy.

[hitbyambulance]

[Jeff V]

The last movie I saw him in (don't recall the name), he did seem a bit off, and I wondered if some sort of dementia was heading his way. I can't put my finger on exactly why, perhaps he was less intense than I'm used to seeing him, but he didn't seem very sharp at all. Too bad, I almost always found his movies entertaining.

[LawBeefaroni]

My mom experienced aphasia after a TIA. She did speech therapy and it was mostly gone. It came back with long-COVID.

[Hrothgar]

He's worth 250 million give or take so the phoned in movies seem kind of pointless, but shrug...

For someone who probably truly loves being an actor, it might have been a last-ditch attempt to not give up on it.

Maybe I'm reading this article wrong, but it sounds more like his entourage was trying to cash in while there was still some milk in the cash cow.

[stimpy]

He's worth 250 million give or take so the phoned in movies seem kind of pointless, but shrug...

For someone who probably truly loves being an actor, it might have been a last-ditch attempt to not give up on it.

Maybe I'm reading this article wrong, but it sounds more like his entourage was trying to cash in while there was still some milk in the cash cow.

Also sounds like movie companies and executives didnt mind milking his name and image to help boost sales either.

[Kraken]

My mother's Alzheimer's came on with aphasia. First she lost the command of proper nouns. She recognized people just fine, but couldn't nail their names. Then the common nouns went. She could still understand others and communicate in a rudimentary way, but it was difficult and frustrating for her. Finally she just stopped trying, and fell silent.

[ImLawBoy]

Just last week or so, the Razzies had created a new category for "Worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie." Willis won for Cosmic Sin. With this announcement, the Razzies have wisely rescinded the award.

[Max Peck]

I think we all know that "Bruce Willis" in the title is actually "the people still making money on Bruce Willis's back."

Bruce Willis sells his likeness to a firm so his 'digital twin' can star in movies and commercials

Retired action movie star Bruce Willis has become the first Hollywood actor to sell his image and likeness rights to a firm that creates movies and commercials using AI-powered deepfake technology.

DeepCake (opens in new tab) says that they hired the "digital twin" of the Die Hard actor so his digital likeness and voice can be superimposed onto the body double so that the star doesn't even need to make it to a film set. From Star Wars (opens in new tab) to just weird videos online (opens in new tab), deepfake technology can change video content in scary and exciting ways.

The firm wasted no time creating ads with digital Willis like the Russian phone ad above. The hope is that other actors will hop on board and let their digital twins star in productions they otherwise couldn't do. The example used is often a scheduling conflict that could prevent an actor from making filming, and the fake can step in as an understudy, so to speak.

According to a post on the DeepCake site, Willis said that it was a "great opportunity for me to go back in time" when commenting on the accuracy of his younger, digital self. He also mentioned that AI "neural network was trained on content of "Die Hard" and "Fifth Element"; this means that character on-screen is modeled after '90s Bruce Willis during the peak of his career.

I was annoyed that they sold his services to sell Russian phones, but since Deepcake is a Russian company I guess that should come as no surprise.

Apparently this is kind of an old story, though. I also found a Reuters bit on it from a year ago.

[Jaymann]

Up next, Harrison Ford sells his likeness to Disney.

[Daehawk]

Thats cool. hell one day they wont need actors they'll just make them and wont have to pay anyone.

[Isgrimnur]

[hepcat]

Disney's going the opposite direction. They're working on Fakefake.

[Max Peck]

In breaking news, it turns out that the deal was struck with the AI copy of Bruce Willis, rather than the actual Bruce Willis. Or something.

Bruce Willis denies selling rights to his face

Bruce Willis's agent has denied reports that the film star has sold the rights to his face.

Last week, it was widely reported that Willis, in the first deal of its kind, had sold his face to Georgia-based company Deepcake.

However, a spokesperson for the actor told the BBC that he had "no partnership or agreement" with the company.

A representative of Deepcake said only Willis had the rights to his face.

Deepcake told the BBC it had worked on an advert using its deepfake technology in 2021 with Willis's consent.

[Daehawk]