Bruce Willis’ stunt double for two decades says actor began to ‘change’ months before aphasia revelation
Bruce Willis' stunt double, who has worked with the star for around two decades, has revealed how the actor started to “change” months before his family announced his aphasia diagnosis. Stuart F Wilson disclosed to The Sun that Bruce’s declining health and forgetfulness were initially not taken as something serious.
He explained, “We had seen some changes, but a lot of times with bigger celebrities that are really, really popular like, like Bruce, they have a million different things going on. Sometimes when you were talking to him, he just seemed sidetracked and we would think it would mean nothing but you would wonder if there are other things going on.”
READ MORE
Bruce Willis retires: 10 iconic movie quotes by the 'Die Hard' star
Adorable photo shows Bruce Willis' five daughters cuddling as they welcome the new year together
Wilson said however after sometime, it became obvious that the 67-year-old was dealing with something major. He said: “Being with somebody that much yeah, you see the changes. Obviously we knew there was other stuff going on at a certain point in time. We realized because he's getting tested for different things, but at the time we didn't know exactly what it was.”
The stunt performer last worked with the ‘Die Hard’ star in December 2021. Recalling that time, he stated: “The bulk of the team had a feeling that he'd take a break. He was doing some medical testing and stuff like that. So we just figured, okay maybe he'll take a break. Realistically though we were as prepared we can be to have your job go away.”
Besides, Wilson mentioned that along with his inability to remember things, Bruce’s physical appearance also changed. He said: “He's just a little leaner now, but he never was a big eater anyway. You know, when we go out to dinner, he'd order you know quite a bit of stuff and he just picks at it. So he's a little leaner. When I saw him a couple weeks ago, he's just a little leaner than normal but not emaciated, and he's always been in pretty good shape.”
Addressing the reports that ‘The Fifth Element’ star has been using earpieces to feed him lines, Wilson added: “He was doing Misery on Broadway, a guy named Adam, who's an actor and also does what they call an earwig. He would use an earwig on occasion just to help out, especially if it was very dialogue-heavy and we just flew in. He's got all this stuff to do. And he just got off another film. So a lot of times we use earwig stuff just to make it easier for production.”
This came after Rumer Willis, daughter of Brue and Demi Moore, shared her family’s joint statement on her Instagram page, announcing the 67-year-old’s aphasia diagnosis and his retirement from the entertainment industry. The post read: “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that. Love, Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn,” it added.