was hailed as 'an incredibly generous man' by his Broadway co-star Laurie Metcalf Wednesday, amid the actor's ongoing battle with aphasia and dementia.
Showbiz
Bruce Willis’s Generous Gesture to Co-Star Revealed
Bruce Willis was hailed as 'an incredibly generous man' by his Broadway co-star Laurie Metcalf Wednesday, amid the actor's ongoing battle with aphasia and demen...
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Metcalf, 70, said Willis, 71, made a habit of 'handing out gifts right and left to the cast and the crew' as they shared the stage for a Will Frears-directed stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 novel Misery in 2015.
The Emmy-winning star, appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast Wednesday, shared an anecdote about how she had a strong rapport .
In the production, Willis and Metcalf portrayed the roles of Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes, famously played in the 1990 film from the late by and Kathy Bates (in ).
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Metcalf, an Oscar nominee in , said Willis was to play the Sheldon character, who is bedridden through the majority of the story.
'I'd sit on the bed with him and we would talk over our day and kids, and I was saying, "Well, my oldest son's coming to town - where should we go?"' Metcalf said.
Bruce Willis, 71, was hailed as 'an incredibly generous man' by Broadway costar Laurie Metcalf, 70, Wednesday. Pictured in NYC in 2015
Metcalf, , said Willis advised her to take her son Will Roth to Nobu, 'especially if you like sushi.'
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Metcalf said of Willis: 'Everybody was so happy to be in his presence'
Willis has been battling dementia since officially being diagnosed in 2023; seen in 2019
'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said. 'Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately.
'We know in our hearts that - if he could today - he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.'
The Mayo Clinic defines aphasia as 'a condition that affects your ability to communicate' that 'can affect your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.'
The actor's family did not announce what caused his bout with aphasia, which has a number of potential causes.
The condition could occur following a head injury or stroke, or can be a predecessor to a brain tumor or Alzheimer's disease. Patients who are living with the condition are typically treated with speech therapy and taught ways to communicate non-verbally.
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