'Not totally verbal': Bruce Willis is 'still Bruce' as he battles dementia, says 'Moonlighting' creator
Caron said that Willis, who retired from acting amid his condition, is happy that 'Moonlighting' is available for streaming on Hulu
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Moonlighting' creator Glenn Gordon Caron has remained close to series star Bruce Willis, who is battling frontotemporal dementia.
'Moonlighting' is now available on Hulu, shining a spotlight on Willis, 68, who rose to fame on the ABC series (1985-1989) alongside Cybill Shepherd.
Caron says Bruce Willis 'excited' for show streaming on Hulu
Caron, 69, told The Post that Willis, who retired from acting amid his condition, is happy that the show is available for fans.
“I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can’t tell me that. When I got to spend time with him we talked about it and I know he’s excited," he said.
He added, “The process [to get ‘Moonlighting’ onto Hulu] has taken quite a while and Bruce’s disease is a progressive disease, so I was able to communicate with him, before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now, about hoping to get the show back in front of people. I know it means a lot to him."
Caron has a 'casual realtionship' with Bruce's family
He continued, “I’m not always quite that good but I try and I do talk to him and his wife [Emma Heming Willis] and I have a casual relationship with his three older children," as reported by New York Post.
Caron said. “I have tried very hard to stay in his life. He’s an extraordinary person. The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and … just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest.”
He said, “So the idea that he now sees life through a screen door, if you will, makes very little sense. He’s really an amazing guy.”
Caron says Bruce senses who is he even after dementia
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Caron said Bruce recognizes him despite his condition. “My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am," he said.
He added, “He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.
In the end he said, “When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.”
