Ach. This one hurts, kids. I'm not gonna lie. This one hurts.
An entertainment icon -- Bruce Willis -- has issued a statement that he's retiring from acting. The particulars clarify that he was recently given a clinical diagnosis of aphasia, a neurologic condition that affects one's ability to communicate with the spoken word and visual cues. (Seriously, folks, I don't want to get into an argument over aphasia here: yes, I've read some stuff on the web this morning as I wanted to know more, and apparently there are a few 'schools of thought' on it. Let's just leave it as is.)
Generally related to brain injury (of some sort), I've read an awful lot of armchair speculation about how his work in action movies has "possibly" produced this condition, but the truth of the matter -- at least, so far as I'm concerned -- is that the man is in his late 60's, and having spent a fair amount of time with seasoned folks myself conditions like this are not as rare nor unusual as one might think.
None of that matters now. What truly matters is that those of us who pray should keep the Willis family in your thoughts and prayers. Those of you who don't pray, do whatever it is you do to send the healing light of the universe Bruce's way. I'm certain he could use whatever any of us have to offer in this time of need.
Honestly, the man's a screen legend, so far as I'm concerned. The Die Hard films -- with an exception here and there -- have all been pretty entertaining; and his work in Science Fiction and Fantasy with roles in 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), and the oft-maligned Armageddon (1998) definitely proved he could stray outside Action and Drama to places where dreams and nightmares come true. And the few films I've mentioned only touch on the man's greatness. Though I've read he can be a holy terror behind-the-scenes, I've got nothing but fond memories of my time with him in shadows and light.
Here's hoping he gets the help he needs, and who knows? Maybe he'll give us something more to look at in the years ahead.
-- EZ
An entertainment icon -- Bruce Willis -- has issued a statement that he's retiring from acting. The particulars clarify that he was recently given a clinical diagnosis of aphasia, a neurologic condition that affects one's ability to communicate with the spoken word and visual cues. (Seriously, folks, I don't want to get into an argument over aphasia here: yes, I've read some stuff on the web this morning as I wanted to know more, and apparently there are a few 'schools of thought' on it. Let's just leave it as is.)
Generally related to brain injury (of some sort), I've read an awful lot of armchair speculation about how his work in action movies has "possibly" produced this condition, but the truth of the matter -- at least, so far as I'm concerned -- is that the man is in his late 60's, and having spent a fair amount of time with seasoned folks myself conditions like this are not as rare nor unusual as one might think.
None of that matters now. What truly matters is that those of us who pray should keep the Willis family in your thoughts and prayers. Those of you who don't pray, do whatever it is you do to send the healing light of the universe Bruce's way. I'm certain he could use whatever any of us have to offer in this time of need.
Honestly, the man's a screen legend, so far as I'm concerned. The Die Hard films -- with an exception here and there -- have all been pretty entertaining; and his work in Science Fiction and Fantasy with roles in 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), and the oft-maligned Armageddon (1998) definitely proved he could stray outside Action and Drama to places where dreams and nightmares come true. And the few films I've mentioned only touch on the man's greatness. Though I've read he can be a holy terror behind-the-scenes, I've got nothing but fond memories of my time with him in shadows and light.
Here's hoping he gets the help he needs, and who knows? Maybe he'll give us something more to look at in the years ahead.
-- EZ
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