Out of all the reasons for a person to retire, sickness or an ailment are among the most regrettable since all too often it’s found that there’s not much that can be done in certain cases. There is a reason why it’s not necessary to second-guess the retirement of Bruce Willis, and it’s due largely to aphasia, a condition in which the individual begins to lose the ability to communicate or even put a sentence together as the condition worsens. Many are in agreement that for someone like Willis this is a definite tragedy since for much of his career, Bruce has been one of those that has done his best work when he’s allowed to give his voice over to one portrayal or another since his ability to turn a phrase or even go on and on with one on-screen rant or another has been legendary in show business. Over the years it has happened that his career appears to have taken a definite decline, but one still has to wonder if it had anything to do with factors that might have led up to his current diagnosis, or if he’d simply lost a step, or if the two were the same problem that many hadn’t figured out yet.
But the point is that yes, Bruce Willis will really be retiring since there are not many other choices in this matter as it has more to do with his health, which should be the first concern in this matter. Plus, and without trying to be offensive, communication is a huge part of acting, and without this ability, the attempt to stick with the craft becomes an impossibility in a business that keeps changing and demanding more of those that have made a decent to outstanding living in front of the camera.
Remembering Bruce’s many contributions to the big and small screens during his career is enough to make a lot of people think that this is indeed a tragedy since the man has been known for his ability to talk his way into and out of many situations throughout the many situations he’s portrayed as a character over the years. Moonlighting stands out as one of his most memorable appearances since he wasn’t that well known back in the day and he was selected out of thousands of people that might have been picked if not for his lucky break. From the start, it felt that he was something special since his ability to banter back and forth with people appeared to come easily and without too much effort. Moving from TV to the movies wasn’t too hard either since he showed up on the scene and managed to knock it out of the park as John McClane in Die Hard, which became one of the most celebrated movies in the decades to come, and would go on to spawn several sequels. Other movies such as The Sixth Sense, 12 Monkeys, and many more managed to keep Willis moving forward in a memorable way as he continued to enjoy a loyal fanbase that stuck around through thick and thin thanks to the fact that the man can act and turn on the charm when it’s needed.
Over the past several years though it’s been evident that Bruce’s career was on the wane since he hasn’t been seen in a lot of big-name movies as he’s taken to acting in direct to video productions, either with fellow big-name stars or with those that might be known but aren’t quite as famous. For a while now he and several others have been making movies that aren’t blockbusters and aren’t particularly good, but it’s almost as though it was a way to stick around as part of the business that’s brought him so much success over the years, which would make a good bit of sense. It might also have been a way to keep himself out of the spotlight in a way since if he’s been suffering from the onset of aphasia it might be that he didn’t want as many people to know, or he could have even been attempting to do as much as he could before the condition grew even worse. This does feel like a valid explanation since the desire to do what’s made him so famous up until the moment when he can’t go any further would be great motivation.
Bruce has had a great career over the years, and it’s fair to state that many people are feeling a bit shocked by this revelation, but the fact is that no actor gets to keep going forever, and after a while, every last one of those in show business will fade in some manner. But it’s easier to celebrate what he’s done and realize that people will remember what he’s done over the years.