Arnold Schwarzenegger called his Expendables co-star/Planet Hollywood co-financier Bruce Willis a “huge, huge star.”
Yippee Ki-Yay, Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the massive outpouring of support for Bruce Willis, whose family revealed in February had frontotemporal dementia, which had progressed from a previous aphasia diagnosis.
Speaking with CinemaBlend, Arnold Schwarzenegger heaped major praise on Bruce Willis, particularly his star power. “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. And a kind man. I understand that under his circumstances, health-wise, that he had to retire.” However, Arnold isn’t so sure that Willis—or any major movie star—can ever really ride into the sunset. “But in general, you know, we never really retire. Action heroes, they reload.”
That final part of Schwarzenegger’s quote could be read a couple of different ways. One that may fit Bruce Willis best is that fans will always have the opportunity to discover his works, particularly (at least in reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger) his action movies. From the Die Hard series to Last Man Standing to The Last Boy Scout, there is plenty to choose from on that front, not to mention Pulp Fiction, Nobody’s Fool, 12 Monkeys…and this is all just in the first half of his career! That will be the reload for the 68-year-old Bruce Willis, as his dementia has forced him to leave the business for good.
The 75-year-old Schwarzenegger, on the other hand, has remained in the spotlight and is seeing something of a reload himself, landing Netflix’s action series FUBAR, marking the star’s first headlining role on scripted live-action show in his 50+-year career. And now that he has the completely made-up but fitting title Chief Action Officer, it doesn’t seem he’ll be retiring anytime soon–especially if the right Marvel role comes up.
Despite being two of the most genre-defining action stars of their era, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger only share two credits: 2010’s The Expendables and its first sequel, released in 2012. Their biggest partnership actually came in the restaurant business, backing Planet Hollywood alongside Sylvester Stallone. Fittingly, the alcoholic options included the Die Harder (rums, blue curaçao and more “team up to save the day”) and The Terminator, a disgusting-sounding concoction of gin, Kahlua, beer and more that the menu promises “will leave you saying, ‘I’ll be back.’”
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