TriStar Pictures
Bruce Willis, the renowned actor, was on a winning streak as he approached 2001. He was known for his relentless work ethic, which inevitably led to a mix of hits and misses. However, after the underperformance of “Last Man Standing” in 1996, and not considering the animated success “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America”, he experienced a four-year run of box-office blockbusters with “The Fifth Element”, “Armageddon”, “The Sixth Sense”, and “Unbreakable”. So why not go for a fifth consecutive hit?
Willis was certainly not short of propositions in 2001, but oddly enough, he began the year with just one movie on his roster, Barry Levinson’s comedic heist film “Bandits”. With Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett as co-stars, the movie’s modest appeal led to a $67 million worldwide gross, which was disappointingly less than its hefty $75 million budget.
This marked the end of Willis’ hot streak, but it could have been extended. If he had accepted a lucrative offer to star alongside George Clooney and a host of other celebrities in a big-budget film, his successful run could have continued into 2002.
Bruce Willis Missed the Opportunity to Play the Villain in Ocean’s Eleven
Warner Bros
During a 2007 Q&A session held in the notoriously lively “talkbacks” section of Ain’t It Cool News, Bruce Willis responded to a range of questions about his acting career up to that point. When a fan asked if he had any regrets about declining film roles, he revealed that he had passed on the Patrick Swayze role in “Ghost”, which would have seen him acting alongside his then-wife, Demi Moore. He then discussed the decision that cast a shadow over his 2001. According to Willis:
“I regret not taking up the role of Terry Benedict in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. I was looking forward to working with George Clooney, but I thought I might only get one chance to do so. The script for the Terry Benedict role in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ was incomplete when I read it, so I passed on it. It turned out to be a poor decision, but Andy Garcia did an excellent job with it, and the rest is history.”
Considering his successful run, Willis didn’t necessarily need “Ocean’s Eleven.” Even though Garcia’s portrayal of casino mogul Terry Benedict was spot-on, it would have been fascinating to see the contrasting acting styles of Clooney and Willis on screen together. It’s a missed opportunity that I wish we could have witnessed.
As it happens, Willis did get a chance to be part of Clooney’s world of heists, albeit in a cameo role as himself in “Ocean’s Twelve”. As for his winning streak, perhaps filming “Ocean’s Eleven” could have prevented him from spending his 2002 on the mediocre “Hart’s War” and the delayed “Tears of the Sun”. But we shouldn’t be too hard on Bruce Willis. We were lucky to have him grace our screens for as long as he did.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
