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Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is back with yet another thriller on his hands with the Josh Hartnett starrerTrap. The filmmaker is known for his sci-fi thrillers and psychological mysteries, with a trademark twist ending that changes the whole film. He has been successful in films such asThe Sixth Sense, The Visit, Signs,andSplit.
Shyamalan has collaborated with actor Bruce Willis in multiple films, including his superhero/horror franchiseUnbreakable. The two joined hands for the first time in the horror filmThe Sixth Sensewhich was a huge blockbuster establishing Shyamalan as a leading director. The filmmaker recalled an incident where Bruce Willis gave him a legendary compliment.
Bruce Willis’ Wonderful Compliment To M. Night Shyamalan Which He Will Never Forget
Bruce Willis was at his peak in the ‘90s as he had come off of his legendary role in the sitcomMoonlightingand had established himself as an action star with theDie Hardfilms. He had also been a part of one of the greatest films ever made, Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction, which had received universal acclaim and many accolades.
Trap Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan Fans May Have Already Deduced the ‘Real Twist’ – Josh Hartnett isn’t The Butcher
Willis joined the cast ofM. Night Shyamalan’sThe Sixth Sensein 1999. The filmmaker had only directed the independent dramaPraying with Angerand the comedyWide Awakewhen he got to make his first big-budget thrillerThe Sixth Sense. The filmmaker mentioned in an interview withJake’s Takesrecently how much he admired Bruce Willis at the time,
“He is this blue-collar hero that I grew up with, and not just for me but for Quentin [Tarantino] and Wes [Anderson], and you name it, Fifth Element. Every time, he took risks and just jumped in, and when he believed in you, he was just behind you, and would be the muscle behind you to go ‘Hey, go for it.’”
Shyamalan recalled one incident where Willis called for him in his trailer while filmingThe Sixth Sense. M. Night Shyamalan, who was then twenty-nine was reportedly extremely nervous as he thought he was going to get yelled at. However, when he got to the trailer, Shyamalan reportedly received his best compliment ever. He said,
“He was like ‘I’ve only felt this one other time, what you made me feel, [which was] with Pulp Fiction and Quentin.’ …It was tough to get on his good side, but once you did, he was your big brother and just fought for you in any circumstance.”
Trap Theory Reveals it’s the 4th Movie in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable Universe That Started With Bruce Willis
Shyamalan went on to say how Willis would stand up for the script if he believed in a director, even if the filmmaker was younger and inexperienced in handling bigger budgets.
Why Did Bruce Willis Retire From Acting?
Bruce Willisand M. Night Shyamalan collaborated on multiple films together. After the success ofThe Sixth Sense,the duo reunited in the superhero filmUnbreakablewhich became a cult classic. The film’s realistic treatment of the superhero genre, which predated films such asThe Dark Knight, was lauded by critics and audiences.
The two would join again years later, first in a cameo in the 2016 filmSplitand thenGlass, which is a direct sequel toUnbreakable. Despite it being a commercial success, Shyamalan said that he would not be making any more sequels in the franchise (viaIndieWire). With Willis retiring from acting,Glassmight just be their final collaboration together.
“I’ll do other things, but I won’t make the movie”: M. Night Shyamalan Played a Risky Gamble With 1 Bruce Willis Starrer That Could’ve Doomed the Movie Forever
Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia and then frontotemporal dementia, leading him to take a retirement from acting. The actor’s familyreleased a statementthat he would be stepping away from his career as he began his treatment. The statement read,
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
In the latter part of his career, Bruce Willis reportedly starred in a bunch of direct-to-video films that were considered for the Golden Raspberry Awards. The Razzies had reportedly even included a category called ‘Worst Bruce Willis Performance In a 2021 Movie’, which was later removed after his aphasia diagnosis (viaDeadline).
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
