Culture news “A pain in the ass” This action film director doesn’t like Bruce Willis: the flow doesn’t flow on the sets
It is with a certain sadness and empathy that movie fans around the world and especially action movie fans learned of the forced retirement of Bruce Willis. Following health problems, the actor ended his Hollywood career. Some directors who have worked with him in the past regularly speak to talk about their collaboration, and they are not all fans of the man who was John McClane in the cinema.
Bruce Willis is “a pain in the ass”
Bruce Willis hasn’t just made friends throughout his career. The one who now suffers from an early form of dementia having forced him to prematurely end his acting career had the reputation of not being easy on set. One director among the dozens with whom he collaborated did not hesitate to return to his experience with Bruce Willis on the set of the film Tears of the Sun.
Filmmaker behind the Equalizer saga with Denzel Washington, Antoine Fuqua clearly did not enjoy working with the American actor on his war film starring Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser and Eamonn Walker. History will remember the mixed reception of Tears of the Sun (34% on RottenTomatoes) and especially its failure at the box office. For an estimated budget of 100.5 million dollars, it only grossed 86.5 million during its theatrical run. He returned to this experience with our colleagues at the BBC and mainly on his professional relationship with Bruce Willis.
A pain in the ass, no problem there. We didn’t get along. We got along great off camera, but on the set (of Tears Of The Sun) we just didn’t get along. Some men don’t get along when it comes to work – you have different work ethics, different opinions, different points of view, different filming methods – and we didn’t get along. Off camera we were friends – Bruce is great – but we didn’t get along when it came to work, and that’s about it. – Antoine Fuqua
The “Bruce Willis” collection on TF1+
The “free” SVOD service (with advertisements) TF1+ is banking on cinema to attract new subscribers. The French group can count on its television channels to temporarily enrich its catalog, and that’s not all. Among the recently added films are several collections focused on a particular actor. After Nicolas Cage and Jean-Claude Van Damme, it is the turn of Bruce Willis to offer his filmography to TF1+ subscribers for the better, but especially for the worse.
- Apex (2021) – 11% on RottenTomatoes
- Deadlock (2021) – no rating on RottenTomatoes
- Fire with Fire (2012) – 7% on RottenTomatoes
- The Jackal (1997) – 24% on RottenTomatoes
- Trap in Troubled Waters (1993) – 20% on RottenTomatoes
- Vendetta (2022) – no rating on RottenTomatoes
See the “Bruce Willis” collection on TF1+