Three movies make Bruce Willis proudest: “They’re novel stories”
The action movie genre is home to many stars who don’t like to stray out of their lane.
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have made non-action films, but everybody knows they’re at their best when they’re kicking people in the face. Jason Statham is rarely seen without a gun in his hands and a one-liner on his lips, and Dwayne Johnson has only just the genre behind in search of that all-valuable ‘respect’. But what about Bruce Willis?
Through his work as John McClane in the ‘Die Hard’ series, the smooth-headed superstar is obviously action movie royalty. His other credits in the field include Armageddon, The Fifth Element, and the ‘Red’ films. However, you’ve also got Look Who’s Talking and its sequel, Death Becomes Her, and Breakfast of Champions, all of which are decidedly un-action. Then there are the movies that the man himself considers to be his most important.
While giving a career retrospective to the Huffington Post, Willis highlighted three films that he was particularly proud of starring in. The ones he chose were 12 Monkeys, Looper, and Moonrise Kingdom. They might seem a little random, but, in the eyes of the star, there is a unifying thread.
“They’re novel stories,” he explained. “Moonrise Kingdom is a very novel story. There’s nothing like it, except another Wes Anderson film. And even in his library, I think he would say, too, that Moonrise Kingdom was really different than anything he has ever done. And highly romantic. I mean, Moonrise Kingdom is a romantic film. And there’s some romance in the science fiction of Looper that we didn’t really talk about. We were just talking about, ‘OK, here’s what we want to see happen in this scene – and now you’re going to do this and you’re going to do some horrific things.’ But the stuff that comes out of it is kind of romantic.”
These three films don’t feel connected at face value. 12 Monkeys and Looper are both science fiction films, and they both even feature Willis’ character travelling back in time, but they take very different approaches to the idea. One is from the very straight-laced Rian Johnson, while the other is by Terry Gilliam who… well, he’s Terry Gilliam. The man is insane. As for Moonrise Kingdom, the only Anderson film Willis appeared in, that’s something else entirely. He plays a police officer on a remote island searching for a young boy and girl who have run off together, claiming to be in love.
It’s easy to write Willis off as just another meathead action star, but it’s clear that he really cares about cinema and the craft of acting. He could have easily coasted on beat ‘em ups for the remainder of his career, but he was never afraid to take risks by starring in independent films, literary adaptations, or even stories of his own creation. They didn’t always work out, but at least he was willing to try.
One of the most important tools in an actor’s arsenal is the ability to take risks. Willis never backed down from a challenge, and that mindset should be rewarded… even if it did lead to Hudson Hawk.
