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Every actor loves Bruce Willis, except ONE: Inside star's decades-long feud with Cybill Shepherd

Cybill Shepherd remarked, 'We never did finish what we started'. The conflict between Shepherd and Willis' characters was not made up.

'Moonlighting' enchanted television viewers from 1985 through 1989 and featured Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in star-making performances. The show followed their two characters as they ran a private detective service, but the show's attraction was based on the chemistry of the two dynamic stars.

Following Shepherd's hiring as Maddie Hayes, the producers brought in a total of 20 actors to audition for the role of co-lead David Addison, but none of them clicked with Shepherd. In 2005, Shepherd acknowledged to Entertainment Weekly that "But with Bruce, the temperature in the room went 20 degrees higher." However, there was a lot of tension associated with that direct connection. The sexual tension between Willis and Shepherd was intense at times, as shown by the blockbuster series.

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Willis went over to Shepherd's house one night after the two decided to act on their impulses. In 2000, she told the Scottish Daily Record & Sunday (via The Free Library), "It wasn't long before we were passionately sucking face." Kissing was the most they were willing to go. Shepherd remarked, "We never did finish what we started." The conflict between Shepherd and Willis' characters was not made up.

According to NPR, their co-star Curtis Armstrong claimed in his book 'Revenge of the Nerd' in 2017 that "Yes, Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd hated each other." This caused problems with their crew. "Cybill and Bruce were very unhappy, and it was very hard to be around," Allyce Beasley, a co-star on the show, told Closer in 2019. Willis and Shepherd afterwards spoke up about their rivalry.

Willis officially confessed that he had a strained relationship with his former co-star in 1990, not long after the series ended, but refused to trash her. On "The Arsenio Hall Show," Willis declared, "I'm not gonna play that game." He did confess, though, that "I mean it, we didn't get along very well on that show. I will say that. The "Die Hard" actor blamed his rocky relationship with Shepherd on his rigorous working schedule. He added on the late-night show, "It's a hard thing to do, and I have no hard feelings." Years later, the estranged actors were reunited in "Moonlighting."

One of the primary concerns between Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd, according to reports, was how his reputation rose after filming 1988's box office sensation 'Die Hard'. Willis' fame and pay rate skyrocketed as a result of the film's success. When asked about her 'Moonlighting' co-star's pay, Shepherd told The Morning Call in 1989, "Sure I feel competitive, and it bugs the hell out of me. But I'm basically very happy for him. I kind of feel as if I share in his success, as if maybe I had something to do with."

After a while, the two stars reflected fondly on their time together. Shepherd and Willis reconnected to record DVD commentary for 'Moonlighting', and they not only avoided fighting, but they also had a good time. Shepherd told Broadway Buzz in 2012, "It was wonderful to see him again." Her perspective has been shaped by her time away from the show. "When you've done something so great, it takes a while to really understand how wonderful the show was..." she added.

Willis expressed a similar perspective regarding his experience on the iconic '80s sitcom when he spoke about it the following year. He told HuffPost in 2012, "I have a lot of good memories about it — a lot of great memories about it," though he stopped short of praising Shepherd. Willis spoke about the show's "frantic pace" and how it "was a huge quantum leap for" his career. He and Shepherd are now both superstars in their own right.