Bruce Willis exhibited signs of declining cognitive state in recent years, including an allegation he accidentally fired a prop gun in Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent's direction

Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Times released the results of its investigation that may have prompted Willis' family to announce the 67-year-old movie star was "stepping away" from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis. "According to those who have worked with the elder Willis on his recent films, the actor has been exhibiting signs of decline in recent years. In interviews with The Times this month, nearly two dozen people who were on set with the actor expressed concern about Willis’ well-being," report the Times' Amy Kaufman and Meg James. "These individuals questioned whether the actor was fully aware of his surroundings on set, where he was often paid $2 million for two days of work, according to documents viewed by The Times. Filmmakers described heart-wrenching scenes as the beloved Pulp Fiction star grappled with his loss of mental acuity and an inability to remember his dialogue. An actor who traveled with Willis would feed the star his lines through an earpiece, known in the industry as an 'earwig,' according to several sources. Most action scenes, particularly those that involved choreographed gunfire, were filmed using a body double as a substitute for Willis." Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent recalled Willis accidentally firing a prop gun on set in 2020 while she played her daughter in the film Hard Kent. She recalled how they were filming a scene in which he was to protect her with a gun when he fired a blank on the wrong cue -- not once, but twice. “I’m supposed to think my life is about to end, and then my dad steps in to save the day,” Kent said, describing how her back was to Willis in the scene. Willis was supposed to deliver a line that would prompt Kent to duck. Instead, he fired the blanks with her back to him, so she was unable to duck each time. As The Times notes, Willis filmed 22 movies in four years -- an unusually large number for any actor.

ALSO:

• Bruce Willis is best known as a movie star, but he won his only major awards (two Emmys and one Golden Globe) for Moonlighting and Friends
• Emilia Clarke and Sharon Stone are among actors who've been diagnosed with aphasia