How Bruce Willis’ Co-Stars Honor Their Friend
By Movieguide® Contributor
MIAMI VICE star Don Johnson is “send[ing] love” to friend and former co-star Bruce Willis amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia.
“We’re best of friends and he’s having a little bit of a struggle right now, and I take this moment to send him love,” Johnson told Entertainment Tonight.
In 2022, Willis and his family shared that he had been diagnosed with aphasia. The following year, they announced he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Willis’ ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, recently updated fans on the actor’s condition, telling CNN, “Given the givens, he’s in a very stable place at the moment.”
“I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely: It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at,” Moore continued. “And from that place, there is such loving and joy.”
Johnson also shared how he helped Willis land his first-ever TV role.
“I knew him from New York, and I’d hang out with him and he was funny,” the actor shared. “So I called our casting director on MIAMI VICE and I said, ‘You know, there’s a guy over there and I think he’s a struggling actor, and you should bring him in and read him because he’s really funny and I think he’d be good.’”
In an interview with GOOD MORNING AMERICA, Johnson elaborated on the story, saying, “I said, ‘Bonnie, there’s a guy that’s a bartender at Cafe Central.’ She said, ‘I know, there’s 5,000 of them.’ I said, ‘No, this guy is interesting and he’s special. Bring him in and read him.’ And he did and we cast him in MIAMI VICE.”
Johnson said he “could just tell” that the DIE HARD actor was a major talent, explaining, “I could sit with a director and in 15 seconds I can say whether he has film sense or he doesn’t. You just pick those things up.”
Now, Johnson is starring on the popular medical drama DOCTOR ODYSSEY, where he plays cruise ship captain Robert Massey, alongside Joshua Jackson, Phillipa Soo, and Sean Teale.
DOCTOR ODYSSEY just began its second season, and it boasts some stellar guest stars — including Willis’ daughter, Rumer.
Related: Bruce Willis Thanks LA Police Officers in Rare Appearance
Johnson reflected on the full-circle moment, saying, “I held her when she was a baby, and I just held her baby.”
“I had nothing to do with [her casting], but I’m thrilled about it,” he finished.
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