Kevin Smith recently apologized for criticisms he made about working withBruce Willis on "Cop Out ."- Willis was recently diagnosed with
aphasia , a condition that can affect language and cognition.
Director Kevin Smith recently apologized to Bruce Willis for "petty complaints" he expressed about the actor after they worked on the 2010 action-comedy, "Cop Out."
Willis was recently diagnosed with aphasia, a neurodegenerative condition that can affect language and cognition. His family announced in a joint statement earlier this week that the "Die Hard" actor would be "stepping away" from acting due to the diagnosis.
Smith, who directed Willis in "Cop Out," tweeted Wednesday, "Long before any of the 'Cop Out' stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan - so this is really heartbreaking to read."
"He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him," he continued. "I feel like an asshole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family."
—KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 30, 2022
In 2011, Smith appeared on Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast and said "it was difficult" working with Willis, who appeared alongside "SNL" star Tracy Morgan.
"I've never been involved in a situation like that where one component is not in the box at all. It was fucking soul-crushing," he continued.
"I mean, a lot of people are gonna be like, 'Oh, you're just trying to blame the movie on him,'" Smith added. "No, but I had no fucking help from this dude whatsoever."
Smith said, "Were it not for Tracy, I might've killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie."
Smith is not the only public figure to regret past criticisms of Willis. Earlier this week the Golden Raspberry Awards, known as the Razzies, announced they were rescinding an award given to Willis in light of his aphasia diagnosis.
During last Saturday's 42nd Razzies ceremony, Willis won "Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie" for his role in the science fiction film "Cosmic Sin."
However, the founders of the awards told IndieWire, "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."
"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," they continued.