Though he might be best known for action, Bruce Willis was an incredibly versatile actor. Health struggles unfortunately sent the actor into retirement, but Willis’ career before that point was prolific. His John McClane role in Die Hard was perhaps his most iconic, as it positioned the actor as a franchise lead. He carried franchises through the years, while also contributing his talents to other major action movies such as Detective Knight and The Expendables.
Outside of Willis’ action franchise, however, the actor could be extremely funny. His perfect casting as Butch Coolidge in the Pulp Fiction ensemble helped prove this, as the actor plays a man of few words but a lot of personality. He is also great in his role in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, once again showing off his range. Perhaps his most notable comedy role was in the romantic comedy series Moonlighting, for which he won an Emmy in 1987. One of Willis’ most standout comedy roles saw him give a perfect audition.
Amy Heckerling Recalls Willis’ Perfect Look Who’s Talking Audition
Willis Played A Baby In The Film
The Look Who’s Talking director speaks about Willis’ perfect audition for the part. This 1989 comedy focuses on a single woman who is left to give birth to the child of a married man all on her own. In the process, she sees a new romantic opportunity in a cab driver in a film that is narrated by the newborn baby, voiced by Willis. This quirky comedy was written and directed by Amy Heckerling. Look Who’s Talking‘s leading cast includes Willis, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Olympia Dukakis, George Segal, and Abe Vigoda.
Speaking with Empire Magazine, Heckerling recalls Willis’ audition. The director describes Willis coming “into the editing room” to “see what [they] wanted him to do” before he was actually cast. To prepare him, they showed him some footage of actual babies. Willis responded by viewing the footage, doing “some sit-ups,” and looking at the footage again before providing improv. Heckerling thought his work was so funny that she hired him on the spot, as she describes below:
Bruce [Willis] came to the editing room [before he was cast], to see what we wanted him to do. We showed him all this footage of babies, and he was like, ‘Okay, I get it. He looked at the footage for a while, did some sit-ups, looked at the footage some more, and then started improvising this hilarious stuff He was so brilliant. We made the deal right there.
Our Take On Bruce Willis’ Look Who’s Talking Role
It Is One Of The Funniest In His Career
Playing the voice of a newborn baby has to be one of Willis’ most bizarre roles in his career. It does show, however, just how creative and hilarious the actor can be. Even if his physical presence was not seen on screen, he could be funny while playing a baby. Look Who’s Talking is one that is worth a rewatch for those interested in looking into the eclectic career of Willis.
Source: Empire Magazine