Bruce Willis was on a little bit of a heater heading into 2001. The star had a behavior of protecting busy, which meant that there could be a dud or two blended in with the successes, however after the washout of “Final Man Standing” in 1996 (and excluding the animated hit that was “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America”), he had 4 consecutive years with a box-office smash in “The Fifth Component” ($264 million worldwide), “Armageddon” ($554 million WW), “The Sixth Sense” ($673 million WW), and “Unbreakable” ($248 million WW). Why not make it 5?
Willis absolutely did not lack for gives in 2001, however for no matter motive he rolled into that yr with one movie on the slate, Barry Levinson’s caper comedy “Bandits.” Co-starring Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett, it is a humorous sufficient film that rode its delicate charms to a $67 million world gross — which fell wanting the film’s inexplicably fats $75 million finances (cash that almost all definitely is not on the display).
This was the top of Willis’ heater, however it needn’t have been that means. Had he not turned down a really candy provide to seem in a star-studded film starring George Clooney and ten different film stars, he would’ve saved that streak going into 2002.
Bruce Willis may’ve menaced George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven
In a 2007 Q&A hosted within the infamously raucous “talkbacks” of Ain’t It Cool Information (the place I received my begin as a journalist, and served because the West Coast Editor from 2009 to 2015), Bruce Willis fielded questions from followers overlaying the breadth of his profession to that time. One among these followers requested if he regretted turning down any films, and after revealing that he opted out of the Patrick Swayze function in “Ghost” (reverse his spouse Demi Moore, no much less), he mentioned the error that put a damper on his 2001. Per Willis:
“I want I had performed the function of Terry Benedict in [‘Ocean’s Eleven’]. I wished to work with George Clooney, and thought I would solely have one shot at doing it, and after I learn the script, the Terry Benedict function in [‘Ocean’s Eleven’] wasn’t completed but, so I handed on it. One other dangerous selection, however Andy Garcia did a terrific job with it, and the remainder is historical past.”
Clearly, contemplating the run he was on, Willis did not want “Ocean’s Eleven.” However whereas he is completely appropriate that Garcia was completely hissable as on line casino magnate Terry Benedict, it might’ve been a spicy distinction of film star types to see Clooney and Willis face off. I dearly want we may’ve seen that.
In fact, Willis did get his alternative to enter Clooney’s heist-happy orbit through a cameo as himself in “Ocean’s Twelve.” As for that heater, perhaps capturing “Ocean’s Eleven” would’ve saved him from blowing his 2002 on the middling “Hart’s Struggle” and the delayed-due-to-production-problems “Tears of the Solar.” However let’s not go second-guessing Bruce Willis. We have been lucky to have him in something for so long as he was in a position to bless us together with his display presence.
