Michael Bay Reflects On Making Armageddon With Bruce Willis

Michael Bay reflects on working with Bruce Willis on the 1998 action classic Armageddon. Willis of course recently announced his retirement from acting after revealing he has been diagnosed with aphasia. The sad revelation led to an immediate outpouring of well-wishes and support from those who have worked with Willis over the years, as well as some upsetting reports about the ways Willis’ condition revealed itself on the sets of his recent films.

Willis of course has been a star since the 1980s, when he first burst on the scene in the classic TV series Moonlighting. But TV wouldn’t be enough for Willis who soon made the leap to movies, establishing his movie star credentials in the action classic Die Hard. Willis was indeed still a bankable name when in 1998 he starred in the apocalyptic sci-fi action film Armageddon. The film garnered poor reviews but still went on to be a blockbuster, grossing $553 million worldwide while firming up Bay’s reputation as one of the masters of the modern-day action epic.

It’s been almost 25 years since Armageddon conquered the box office and now Willis is sadly retiring from movies. In the wake of Willis’ announcement, Armageddon director Bay shared his thoughts about working with the star, revealing that their relationship got off to a rocky start but eventually improved. Bay said (via Jake’s Takes):

Bruce was a real star. A real movie star. He was a little combative in the beginning because he didn’t trust me. I’m still young. And Jerry Bruckheimer my producer said “Show him some footage.” I showed him some footage and…he loved it. And I loved working with him. He’s very funny. He’s great at improv and he really commands the screen. It’s just sad news and I heard it yesterday.

That Willis could be “combative” is of course no surprise given all the stories that have emerged about him over the years. Indeed some directors have recalled having flat-out bad experiences with Willis, as was the case for Kevin Smith, who famously slammed the actor for his behavior on the set of Cop Out. But Willis’ announcement that he’s been stricken with aphasia softened some of those bad feelings for Smith, who recently copped to being an “a–hole” for his “petty complaints” about working with the star.

Certainly if Bay had any really terrible experiences with Willis on the set of Armageddon, now would not be the right time to reveal that. Instead of going negative, Bay kept things upbeat in his remarks about Willis, commenting on the actor’s comedic skills and giving him props for his improv ability. It’s of course up for debate whether Armageddonis actually a good movie, but there’s no doubt the film has endured as an action classic, and much of its lasting appeal is down to Willis’ real movie star presence acting as a center of gravity for all its explosive Bay-esque mayhem.

Source: Jake’s Takes/YouTube

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