Razzies Retract Bruce Willis Slam

In wake of his aphasia reveal, group takes back a recently issued 'award'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 1, 2022 8:29 AM CDT
Razzies Retract Bruce Willis Slam
Bruce Willis attends a movie premiere in New York in 2019.   (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Now that Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with the cognitive ailment known as aphasia, the Razzies are playing nice. The group known for recognizing the worst performances of the year in cinema has retracted the "award" it gave him just six days ago, reports Deadline. "If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie," said co-founders John Wilson and Mo Murphy, per IndieWire. And this was no ordinary Razzie: This year, the group created a special category called "Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie," and he got it for his performance in Cosmic Sin.

The movie was one of several that Willis had a bit role in last year, and Wilson told Vulture (before Willis' aphasia diagnosis was known) the rationale behind the special category: "When we checked his IMDb filmography and saw, Wow, he was actually in eight movies that came out in a single year, that is a Razzie record," he said, adding, "I think they all went directly to streaming." That Willis was allowed to appear in so many low-budget movies of late is now under increased scrutiny, especially after a Los Angeles Times investigative story made clear that his cognitive troubles have been evident for some time.

The Razzies retraction comes after the group was widely criticized for an initial tweet about Willis that was viewed as flippant. "The Razzies are truly sorry for #BruceWillis diagnosed condition," it read. "Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021. Our best wishes to Bruce and family." Willis, incidentally, wasn't the only actor to receive a retraction: The group also took back a Razzie given years ago to Shelley Duvall for the Shining. "We have since discovered that Duvall’s performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her throughout the production," say the co-founders. "We would like to take this opportunity to rescind that nomination as well." (More Bruce Willis stories.)

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