No Action Role for Willis (Bruce Willis)

This Is London ^

[I'm ALL Right!]

No action role for Willis
28 February 2003

Pssst...He is famed for playing the all-action hero in Hollywood blockbusters such as Die Hard and Armageddon.

So, with the prospect of war in the Gulf looming, Bruce Willis proudly phoned President George Bush to tell him he was ready to don his trademark vest and volunteer for military service.

But he was shocked when an aide at the White House told him: 'Sorry, Bruce, you're too old to enlist.'

Willis said he was so sick of the antiwar attitude of his fellow actors that he offered to battle alongside US forces against Saddam.

In his 1998 film Armageddon, Willis played a drilling expert who averted Earth's destruction by nuking a giant asteroid from the inside.

He later told fans he would no longer make 'save the world' movies - but that clearly does not apply to his off-screen activities.

The 47-year-old said: 'I thought about signing up but my friends told me I was too old. I called the White House, called President Bush and asked what I could do.'

Apparently, Mr Bush told Willis he was past his prime - the age limit for new recruits is 34 - and to find a more peaceful way to serve his country.

'So I got involved with the national foster care programme,' Willis said.

The Die Hard star believes A-list stars such as Sean Penn, George Clooney and Martin Sheen, who plays a US president in political drama The West Wing, are reluctant to speak out in favour of military action.

[Hugin]

Isn't it hypocritical to vilify actors who are against the war for speaking out, saying they're not qualified to give an opinion, and no one cares what they say -- and then to encourage another actor to speak out and embrace him just because he agrees with you?

It would be--if I did that. But I have never said celebs shouldn't speak out just because they are celebs. I've criticized idiots like Sean Penn who clearly don't have any knowledge of the subject they speak out on and cannot make a coherent argument. And I've criticized the ideas of people like Rob Reiner who have knowledge and are articulate but are just wrong, but I haven't said they shouldn't speak out or be active in politics. So there is no hypocisy on my part. And it certainly wouldn't be hypocritical on Willis' part, which is how I took the original post.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The President knows how important it is to motivate the homefront for the upcoming battles and asked Bruce to do something to help. Mr. Willis is now the head of the President's foster care program....and he can teach kids self defense, too. Cool!

[3catsanadog]

Didn't I hear that Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are in support of the war on Iraq?

[VOA]

Didn't I hear that Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are in support of the war on Iraq?

I heard Phil Hendrie (the guy with the talk show on KFI 640AM in Los Angeles that does
plays both host and some wacky "guests") say that James Earl Jones, Tom Cruise, and Harrison
Ford had dared to voice support for Dubya's Iraq policy.

(Don't quote me on this...Hendrie is as wacky as them come...but he had
"broken form" some in the past couple of weeks and been doing some straight talk about
the Iraq situation, our "allies, The French" and related topics).

[wardaddy]

He's got my respect. I could tell he was holding back on Rather.

Good man!


He's no fluke...6th Sense was a gem.

[Bellflower]

"I hope this clarifies my statement. I admit, I'd be inclined to look the other way if a bunch of celebrities outed themselves as conservatives, and were vocal about it. But I'd know that I was applying a double standard when doing it."

I don't think it would be a double standard as the "stars" on the left are so vocal that unless they speak out they will be be guilty by association. Their hands were forced. If they don't stand up for what's right at this point then they are cowards and their reputations will be impinged on a higher level then has anything to do with Hollywood.

[montag813]

Penn, Clooney and Sheen are hardly a-list in my opinion... And it has nothing to do with their ideology.

Clooney and Penn get 1/10th the salary that Willis does. A-list my ass. Bruce...you, Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson are alone at the top.

[fish hawk]

Penn, Clooney, and Sheen are what Ann Coulter calls "girly boys". Bruce and Arnold, they the man.