The Razzie Awards, an annual alternative to the Academy Awards that celebrates the year’s worst film achievements, has rescinded a category it created for Bruce Willis’ less-than-stellar recent films following the news that the actor is retiring following a diagnosis of aphasia.
What Happened: This year’s Razzies included the new category “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie” that included eight films featuring the “Die Hard” star. Willis’ performance in “Cosmic Sin” was cited as the worst of the bunch.
The Razzies organizers reversed themselves following the announcement by Willis’ family that the 67-year-old actor will no longer be able to perform due to aphasia, a medical condition that impacts a person’s cognitive and communication abilities.
“After much thought and consideration, the Razzies have made the decision to rescind the Razzie Award given to Bruce Willis, due to his recently disclosed diagnosis,” Razzies co-founders John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy said in a press statement.
“If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.”
IndieWire reported that Wilson and Murphy were unaware of Willis’ health issues until after the Razzies winners were announced on March 26, adding, “In Willis’ defense, perhaps his reps should not have let him do such a high volume of work in so short a time.”
What Else Happened: The Razzies also reached back to its first awards slate for the films of 1980 to rescind the nomination for Worst Actress that was given to Shelley Duvall in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining.”
“As we recently mentioned in a Vulture Interview, extenuating circumstances also apply to Shelley Duvall in ‘The Shining,’” Wilson and Murphy said in a statement.
"We have since discovered that Duvall’s performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her throughout the production. We would like to take this opportunity to rescind that nomination as well."
Kubrick’s direction of Duvall has been reported as being borderline abusive, forcing her into dozens of takes and treating her with extreme disrespect when filming scenes in order to bring Duvall to the level of hysteria that he wanted her character to display.
Duvall would later state she bore no ill feelings towards the filmmaker and described him as “warm and friendly” when they were not working.
Photo: Bruce Willis in "Cosmic Sin," courtesy of Saban Films.
