Kevin Smith has issued an apology to Bruce Willis following the iconic “Die Hard” star’s announcement he’s retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder that affects communication and comprehension skills.
Smith famously butted heads with Willis when he directed him in the 2010 comedy “Cop Out”, in which Willis and co-star Tracy Morgan played suspended cops trying to track down a valuable baseball card that’s been stolen.
READ MORE: Bruce Willis Is ‘Stepping Away’ From Acting After Being Diagnosed With Aphasia
Smith, known for directing such films as “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy”, said many unkind things about Willis after the movie came out, but in a tweet he issued on Wednesday, March 30, he apologized.
“Long before any of the ‘Cop Out’ stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan — so this is really heartbreaking to read,” wrote Smith of Willis’s diagnosis. “He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him. I feel like an a**hole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family.”
Long before any of the Cop Out stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan – so this is really heartbreaking to read. He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him. I feel like an asshole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family. https://t.co/npSgvkb5v7
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 30, 2022
As TooFab pointed out, back in 2011 Smith described working with an unnamed star, assumed to be Willis, “soul crushing” during an appearance on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast.
“One guy wouldn’t even sit for a f**king poster shoot,” he said, as reported by Collider.
“Everyone knows who it is,” he continued. “Put it this way, remember the really funny guy in the movie? It ain’t him. He’s a f**king dream. Tracy Morgan, I would lie down in traffic for. Were it not for Tracy, I might’ve killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie.”
READ MORE: Demi Moore Shares Birthday Tribute To Ex-Husband Bruce Willis: ‘Thank You For Our Blended Family’
Smith added: “It was difficult. I’ve never been involved in a situation like that where, one component is not in the box at all. It was f**kin’ soul-crushing. I mean, a lot of people are gonna be like, ‘Oh, you’re just trying to blame the movie on him.’ No, but I had no f**king help from this dude whatsoever.”
Smith did name names at the “Cop Out” wrap party; according to /Film, the National Enquirer reported that Smith slammed the movie’s star when he toasted the cast and crew.
“I want to thank everyone who worked on the film, except for Bruce Willis… who is a f**king d**k!” Smith reportedly said.
