Latest news with #DetectiveKnight
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Bruce Willis' wife shares how he continued acting after dementia diagnosis
Bruce Willis' family have rallied around him since the Die Hard actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023, and his wife has now opened up about his work Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, is shedding light on how the Hollywood icon managed to continue working on set even after his health started deteriorating because of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In her upcoming book The Unexpected Journey, which is set to be released on September 9, 2025, Emma shares intimate details about the measures that were taken to keep Bruce in front of the camera while his cognitive abilities declined. According to reports, some of the tactics directors used included shortening his dialogue and feeding him lines via an earpiece, which was discreetly operated by a close friend on set. These behind-the-scenes accommodations allowed the Die Hard legend to complete roles in films like Assassin (2023) and the Detective Knight trilogy (2022–2023), even though he was being increasingly impacted by FTD, which is a degenerative disease that affects cognition and speech Willis's diagnosis was first made public in 2022 when his family announced he was suffering from a language disorder called aphasia. In February 2023, they confirmed the condition had progressed into FTD. Since then, Bruce has stepped away from acting. Emma told fans on Instagram that she wrote her book to help other families facing similar situations. She shared: "I really wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me the day we got our diagnosis with no hope, no direction … not much. Today life looks different for me and our family because I was able to put support into place. "This isn't a memoir, it's a self-help guide for caregivers, written to hold space for our heartbreak and our healing." During Bruce's final years of working, directors began to alter his roles so that he would be able to make it through shooting. In a 2020 email, Out of Death director Mike Burns asked writers to "abbreviate his [Willis'] dialogue so that there are no monologues". The actor's shooting schedules were also adjusted so that his workdays were limited to four hours when possible, and he did not film for more than two consecutive days. On set, crew members noticed that Bruce seemed confused and often struggled to remember lines or his purpose in a scene. They were particularly troubled by one moment during White Elephant, when he reportedly asked, "I know why you're here, and I know why you're here, but why am I here?" Despite the challenges, some collaborators still held high opinions of his work. Paradise City director Chuck Russell praised Bruce's efforts, saying he "brought his A-game". But others, like White Elephant production supervisor Terri Martin, said, "He just looked so lost… He always tried his best." Emma has reflected on the early days of Bruce's condition developing, sharing: "As his language started changing, it [seemed like it] was just a part of a stutter, it was just Bruce. Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young." Bruce's children have opened up about the emotional effect his diagnosis had on them, with his daughter Tallulah in particular admitting the seriousness of his situation hit home to her when she imagined her wedding day and realised her father would no longer be able to deliver a speech. "It was devastating," she sighed. "I left the dinner table, stepped outside, and wept in the bushes." Despite that heart breaking realisation, Tallulah added: "There's painful days, but there's so much love."
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bruce Willis' wife reveals how he secretly continued acting amid dementia battle
Bruce Willis ' wife Emma Heming is opening up for the first time about how the action legend continued working on film sets even as his health quietly declined behind the scenes. In her upcoming book The Unexpected Journey, out September 9, 2025, Heming shares intimate details about the extraordinary lengths taken to help Bruce remain in front of the camera as symptoms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) began to take hold. Emma, 46, reveals directors reduced his dialogue, and a close friend was brought in to discreetly feed him lines through an earpiece during filming, per The Daily Beast. These strategies allowed the Die Hard star, now 70, to complete roles in movies like Assassin (2023) and the Detective Knight trilogy (2022–2023) without drawing public attention to his condition. Willis' diagnosis was first revealed in 2022 as aphasia, a language disorder, but by February 2023, his family confirmed it had progressed into frontotemporal dementia (FTD)—a degenerative brain disease that impacts speech, behavior, and cognitive function. Since then, Bruce has stepped out of the spotlight, with rare updates from his wife and daughters. Emma and Bruce have been married since 2009 and share two daughters: Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. He also has three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore — Rumer, 36, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 30. Earlier this spring, Rumer told Extra that her father is 'doing great,' adding, 'He's really good.' Emma revealed on Instagram that she wrote the book to support others navigating a similar diagnosis, offering guidance to both patients and their loved ones. 'I really wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me the day we got our diagnosis with no hope, no direction … not much. Today life looks different for me and our family because I was able to put support into place,' she said. She added, 'This isn't a memoir, it's a self-help guide for caregivers, written to hold space for our heartbreak and our healing.' It comes after a 2022 report by the Los Angeles Times detailed the cognitive decline Willis displayed on movie sets before his aphasia battle forced him to retire. In the three years leading up to his retirement, Willis appeared in 22 low-budget action films often referred to as 'geezer teasers.' But behind the scenes, crew members began noticing troubling signs. The action icon, once known for his commanding presence, had become increasingly confused on set, frequently requiring an earpiece to have his lines fed to him and sometimes struggling to remember why he was there. 'It was clear that he was not the Bruce I remembered,' said White Elephant director Jesse V. Johnson, who had known Willis since his stuntman days, told the LA Times. During filming, Willis asked crew members, 'I know why you're here, and I know why you're here, but why am I here?' Johnson was told to complete Willis' scenes by lunch to avoid taxing him. Other troubling moments were reported across multiple productions. On the set of Hard Kill, at least two crew members said Willis misfired a gun loaded with blanks, missing his cue and putting castmates at risk. Actress Lala Kent recalled one misfire during a scene where he was supposed to deliver a line before pulling the trigger. 'The first time, it was like, 'No big deal, let's reset,'' she said. But when it happened again, she asked the director to remind him of the timing. Other crew members confirmed the incident and noted they were always cautious to keep people out of the line of fire when Willis handled weapons. Despite this, some close collaborators denied the gun misfires ever occurred. Producer Randall Emmett and the film's armorer both disputed the reports. Still, concern among crews grew. The LA Times reported that nearly two dozen people who worked with Willis raised red flags about his health. Willis' team took significant steps to accommodate his condition. His roles were shortened, his shooting days capped at two, and he often worked only four hours a day. In a June 2020 email, Out of Death director Mike Burns requested a last-minute rewrite: 'We need to knock down Bruce's page count by about five pages… and abbreviate his dialogue so that there are no monologues.' Willis' struggles were visible to many. On the set of American Siege in 2020, he was spotted wearing an earpiece—two years before his family publicly revealed his diagnosis of aphasia, a language disorder that later progressed into FTD. Paradise City, filmed in Maui, was one of his final projects. Director Chuck Russell praised his effort, saying he 'brought his A-game,' but others on previous sets, like White Elephant's production supervisor Terri Martin, painted a more somber picture: 'He just looked so lost… He always tried his best.' Mike Burns, who worked with Willis again on Wrong Place, was told by one associate that Bruce was 'a whole different person' and in better shape than the previous year. Still, the actor increasingly relied on stunt doubles for action sequences and needed extensive off-camera support. Before his diagnosis, Willis had racked up more than 70 film credits since beginning his career in the 1970s. He rose to fame on Moonlighting and became an international star as John McClane in Die Hard. Beyond Die Hard, Willis left his mark with roles in Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, 12 Monkeys, and more—cementing himself as one of Hollywood's most bankable leading men. He is now retired from acting, with his family periodically updating fans on Willis amid his dementia battle.
Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Bruce Willis 'tried to soldier on' with acting career despite dementia diagnosis
Acting legend Bruce Willis tried various things to carry on his 40-year acting career before his dementia forced him to retire, with a new book revealing all about his final films Hollywood legend Bruce Willis tried to carry on acting despite his dementia diagnosis, his wife reportedly claims in her upcoming book. The 70-year-old made his last on-screen appearances in action movies Assassin and the Detective Knight series in 2023. It was in February of that year that his family made the heartbreaking announcement the actor - famous for films from Die Hard and Pulp Fiction to The Sixth Sense and Death Becomes Her - had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of the illness, at the age of 67. Prior to this the Hollywood legend had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes speaking or the ability to understand language is impaired. It was this that led to his retirement from acting in 2022. Since then he has lived out of the spotlight while he is cared for by his family, including wife of 16 years Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore and the three grown up daughters he shares with Demi - Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and 31-year-old Tallulah. Inside Bruce Willis' reduced life now as tragically 'nonverbal' with around-the-clock care But before his diagnosis was made public, it's been revealed Bruce tried to find ways to solider on with his 40-year film career. In her new book - which is said to be a self-help book to help families going through the same thing, as well as a memoir - Bruce's wife Emma opens up on life with the star as his condition has worsened. Australian news site reports that Emma's book, The Unexpected Journey, will reveal how the actor continued to work for so long despite his condition. It reports: "Before making his condition public, Willis had found ways to soldier on with his acting. Having directors scale down his dialogue and getting a trusted friend to feed him his lines through an earpiece on films, such as Assassin and the Detective Knight series." At first the deterioration in Bruce's health wasn't immediately obvious to anyone as he's always had a slower speech pattern due his lifelong stutter. This meant his inner circle were not immediately concerned when he began stumbling over his words a bit more than usual. In a previous appearance on chat show Parkinson, he even joked: "It's how I got my sense of humour, because I realised, yeah I stutter, but I could make people laugh by doing stupid stuff. 'I also learned that when I got on stage, I magically stopped stuttering. You can still hear a little bit of it in my voice. You'll still hear that little pause in my voice while I catch myself and think about what I want to say next." But as his symptoms became worse, Bruce sadly had to withdraw from acting and public life altogether. His family have since shared he now requires round-the-clock care and is 'non-verbal.' Sharing details about her upcoming book - which will be released in September - on Instagram, Emma said: "I'm honoured to share the cover of my first book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path." The 46-year-old continued: "Born from grief, shaped by love, and guided by purpose, this is the book I needed back when Bruce was first diagnosed and I was frozen with fear and uncertainty. 'This is the book I trust will help the next caregiver. It is filled with support, insight, and the hope needed to navigate this journey. This book is for all of us finding our way through the unknown with love, grit, and courage. You are not alone.' Emma Heming-Willis: The Unexpected Journey will be released on September 9 and is available to preorder now
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Willis ‘found ways to soldier on with acting' amid frontotemporal dementia diagnosis
Bruce Willis was working with directors to continue acting before his diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was made public, his wife, Emma Heming Willis, reportedly claims in her forthcoming book. In March 2022, Willis's family announced that the actor had been diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder, and would be stepping away from acting as the condition was 'impacting his cognitive abilities'. Nearly a year later, in February 2023, the family provided a more specific diagnosis: FTD, a degenerative brain condition that impacts communication and behavior. The family described FTD as a 'cruel disease' for which there is no cure. However, reports that Heming Willis's book The Unexpected Journey, which she describes as being 'not a memoir but under the category of self-help', will reveal how the actor continued to work despite his condition. 'Before making his condition public, Willis had found ways to soldier on with his acting, having directors scale down his dialogue and getting a trusted friend to feed him his lines through an earpiece on films such as Assassin and the Detective Knight series,' the Australian news site claims. The Independent has contacted representatives for Harding Willis, Willis and Lionsgate for comment. Assassin (2023) and the Detective Knight series (2022-23) were among Bruce's final projects before his retirement from acting. The news site points out that Willis's deterioration wasn't immediately obvious because of the stutter he'd suffered from since childhood. 'It's how I got my sense of humour, because I realised, yeah I stutter, but I could make people laugh by doing stupid stuff,' he once told interviewer Michael Parkinson. Willis first married actor Demi Moore in 1987, and shares three daughters with the actor: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. The couple divorced in 2000 but remained close friends and continue to spend time together with their blended families. In 2009, Bruce married British-American model and actor Heming Willis, with whom he shares two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. Revealing her book's cover on Instagram in April, Heming Willis wrote: 'Born from grief, shaped by love, and guided by purpose, this is the book I needed back when Bruce was first diagnosed and I was frozen with fear and uncertainty. 'This is the book I trust will help the next caregiver. It is filled with support, insight, and the hope needed to navigate this journey. 'This book is for all of us finding our way through the unknown with love, grit, and courage. You are not alone.' The Unexpected Journey is out September 9.
