Bruce Willis’ last role before his dementia diagnosis is tragic

Bruce Willis’s last films show that he’s still an action hero. Despite most of these movies being for TV, it’s impressive that the “Die Hard” icon did over a dozen projects at the end of his career. But you could see something was wrong. People noticed that Bruce Willis was not the same.

In February 2023, just before his final film came out, the real reason was revealed. Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which affects personality and language. It’s the same disease that affects Wendy Williams. The announcement came just ten months after they said he was struggling with aphasia. “FTD is a cruel disease that can strike anyone,” the family said in a statement signed by his wife, ex-wife, and kids. There are no treatments for the disease yet, but we hope this will change. As Bruce’s condition gets worse, we expect the media will focus on this disease and raise awareness and funds for research.

It’s hard to imagine such a talented person being ill and unable to do what he loves. Those who worked with him saw the signs of his decline even before the official diagnosis.

Many noticed that he was no longer Bruce Willis.

His final films were low-budget and low-stakes, but the action icon still had to work hard to pull off those roles. Colleagues told The Los Angeles Times that Willis often needed to remember his lines. He had to wear an earpiece to have his lines read to him. Scripts were even changed to help him wrap scenes faster. And action scenes? Stunt doubles did most of the action scenes because Willis couldn’t do them. Director Mike Burns of “Out of Death” said, “After the first day working with Bruce, I could see that he was getting worse. I realized there was a bigger issue at stake.” Sometimes, Willis seemed unsure why he was on set. He reportedly asked the crew, “Why am I here?”

Fans noticed, too. In his review of “Assassin,” Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said that although Willis delivered his lines accurately, he seemed disengaged and lacked the energy one would expect in an action film. His performances lacked the spark they once had.

Willis retired from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with aphasia. He and his family are taking it one step at a time. “He’s doing well, which is good, but it’s hard,” said Tallulah Willis in September 2024. “There are hard days, but there’s so much love.”