Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed in on Bruce Willis’ retirement. The Die Hard star had to step away from making action movies after he was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. in February, his family said he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which makes it difficult for him to communicate. Schwarzenegger noted that while Willis might not be making new movies, he’s never really retired because his movies will always be there for fans.
“I think that he’s fantastic. He was, always for years and years, is a huge, huge star,” Schwarzenegger, 75, told CinemaBlendย while promoting his Netflix series FUBAR. “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. But in general, you know, we never really retire. Action heroes, they reload.”
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Schwarzenegger and Willis, 68, only appeared onscreen together in the first two Expendables movies. However, they were contemporaries, lighting up the box office in the 1980s and 1990s with their blockbuster hits. While Willis was starring in Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, The Fifth Element, and The Sixth Sense, Schwarzenegger scored hits with True Lies, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Eraserย and Jingle All The Way.
Willis’ family told fans he had to step away from acting after he was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. In February, they shared more sad news after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. His wife, Emma Hemming Willis, has continued to raise awareness of her husband’s condition and called for the support of caregivers.
Willis most recently appeared on social media in late March, when his family gathered to mark his 68th birthday. On March 21, Emma shared a video from the 2019 ceremonyย in which they renewed their vows to mark 10 years of marriage.
“On our 10th wedding anniversary we decided to renew our vows in the same place we said ‘I do’ back in 2009,” Emma wrote. “I’m so happy we did. Seize every opportunity to unite and celebrate with family and friends. Those are the moments and beautiful pockets of memories that you get to hold on to for a lifetime. And we get to keep those memories safe and alive for the ones that might not be able to.”
Schwarzenegger’s latest project is FUBAR, an action-comedy series created by Nick Santora. He plays a CIA operative who just learned that his daughter, played by Monica Barbara, is also a CIA operative. Netflix released all eight episodes on May 25. Tom Arnold, who previously worked with Schwarzenegger in True Lies, made a special guest appearance.ย
