Bruce Willis Making Bad Movies Because He Has Dementia?

Rumors are circulating recently about Bruce Willis possibly having dementia, suffering from memory loss and needing help on sets

By Doug Norrie | Published

bruce willis

Bruce Willis has been cranking out movies at a crazy rate over the last couple of years, though you might not be totally aware considering where they are ultimately landing. And while it’s not weird for an actor to take as much work as possible to get while the getting is good, there is a new theory about why he’s decided to venture into this kind of obscure film work. According to OK! and some other sources, there is increasing speculation that Bruce Willis has dementia and is allegedly suffering from some early onset memory loss issues; working diligently now while he still can. This has not been confirmed by sources close to Willis. 

The OK! reporting about Bruce Willis and possible dementia cites a YouTube video from RedLetterMedia’s Half in the Bag titled “The Bruce Willis Fake Movie Factory” which details why the actor has been taking so many no-name films over the last couple of years. And in the comments section of this video, apparently, director Matt Eskandari who worked with Willis on a number of films said that the actor’s situation has been deteriorating and even mentions the word “dementia” as a reason. Eskandari also commented that it was a “sad situation seeing a legend like Bruce deteriorating right in front of your eyes…” Eskandari had worked with Bruce Willis on Survive the Night, Hard Kill, Trauma Center, and the yet unreleased Wire Room. It’s worth noting here that those comments by Eskandari have subsequently been deleted. 

Speculation that Bruce Willis could have dementia began to stem from a 2015 stage adaptation of Misery he starred in along with Laurie Metcalf. It was reported at the time that Willis could be seen wearing an earpiece that was supposedly feeding him lines throughout the production. And apparently, rumors have swirled throughout the years that the actor was suffering from similar issues on sets of films. And as part of the Half in the Bag video, there was a section in which he was seen wearing an earpiece in the movie Apex which came out last year. There was mention of the possibility of hearing loss as the reason, but apparently, the earpiece shifted ears throughout the production. 

bruce willis

Could Bruce Willis having dementia be the reason he is taking all of these roles lately? That was a suggestion with the line of thinking that he’s taking as much work as possible in order to put in the time now while he is still able. That would be one way to explain the sheer number of films he’s been in over the last two-plus years. Since 2020, Bruce Willis has been in 13 direct-to-video films with American Siege, Gasoline Alley, and A Day to Die already coming out this year. He had no fewer than eight more in the works due out later this year and into early 2023. 

Again, this Bruce Willis dementia speculation is still just that, compiled through a number of different examples over the years. Even if there was an issue, it’s clearly not affecting his ability to crank out films. Almost no other actor has this kind of volume over the last couple of years.