Role Call: Bruce Willis
A look back at the Smirky One's career -- and surprising choices
By Gary Susman
Entertainment Weekly
(Entertainment Weekly) -- Bruce Willis' new movie "Hostage" -- in which he plays a police negotiator who must save two families (one of them his own) from menacing thugs -- appears to borrow from several of his career highlights.
Of course, Willis first rescued hostages in 1988's "Die Hard," and then again in its two sequels. After that, he famously protected a young boy (like "Hostage's" Jimmy Bennett) in 1999's "The Sixth Sense." And he's shaved his head before, most dramatically for 1995's "Twelve Monkeys."
The actor, who turns 50 on March 19, seems to be returning to safe territory after five years without a box office winner. (His last was 2000's hitman comedy "The Whole Nine Yards.") He's even planning a fourth "Die Hard."
Yet some of his biggest successes have been his riskiest choices, where he's played against type. Who, after all, expected the light-comedy star of TV's "Moonlighting" to excel as an action hero in "Die Hard"? Once he became an A-lister in big-budget blockbusters, who expected him to triumph by working for scale in the low-budget "Pulp Fiction" (1994)? Who knew he could serve as the quiet center of a psychological horror film (1999's "The Sixth Sense") and help make it one of the top-grossing movies of all time? And who knew he could turn right around and successfully spoof his tough-guy image in "Nine Yards"?
Initially known for his perpetual smirk, Willis has made a career out of surprising moviegoers with his versatility. After "Hostage," he'll make another left turn by appearing in an ensemble role in the visually innovative comic-book movie "Sin City,"due in April. Whether or not these movies are hits, Willis has become such an established role model that Hollywood will continue to grant him opportunities to stretch.
In the meantime, take a look at the following gallery
to see how he's surprised us over the years.
Click here to see the gallery.
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