Arnold Schwarzenegger Praises Bruce Willis’ Legacy

Legendary action star Arnold Schwarzenegger sends his love for his fellow Expendables co-star and friend Bruce Willis.

Schwarzenegger sat down with CinemaBlend to discuss his new Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR and when the topic of Willis’ retirement from acting due to his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis came up, Schwarzenegger was quick to praise the Die Hard star for his resilience in his monumental career and for being a generous friend. “I think that he’s fantastic. He was, always for years and years, is a huge, huge star. And I think that he will always be remembered as a great, great star,” Schwarzenegger said. “And a kind man. I understand that under his circumstances, health-wise, that he had to retire. But in general, you know, we never really retire. Action heroes, they reload.”

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Schwarzenegger and Willis’ careers have intertwined since the late ’80s. The Terminator star was one of several big-name actors who turned down the lead role of John McClane in 1988’s Die Hard, the film that then-TV actor Willis accepted, elevating him to international superstar. On equal footing as Schwarzenegger and mutual friend Sylvester Stallone, Willis and his fellow genre actors invested as well as promoted the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain throughout the ’90s.

Bruce Willis Isn’t Expendable

While the stars enjoyed success on the big screen throughout the ’90s and ‘2000s, Schwarzenegger and Willis never shared the screen until Stallone asked them to cameo for a vital but historic scene in 2010’s The Expendables. The movie proved so popular with audiences that Schwarzenegger and Willis saw their roles expanded in the sequel The Expendables 2 in 2012. Wills did not return for Expendables 3 due to a salary dispute.

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In recent years, Willis found mixed success on the big screen before leading mostly straight-to-video releases in the ‘2010s. In 2022, The Razzie Awards formed a category for Willis which was slammed following news of his dementia diagnosis. Eventually, the Razzies dropped the Bruce Willis category altogether and apologized.

Schwarzenegger is not the only friend sharing his admiration for Willis. The actor’s The Sixth Sense co-star Haley Joel Osment provided a moving tribute on social media. “It’s been difficult to find the right words for someone I’ve always looked up to—first on the big screen, and then by some wild stroke of luck, in person. He’s a true legend who has enriched all of our lives with a singular career that spans nearly half a century,” Osment said.

Schwarzenegger’s series FUBAR is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: CinemaBlend