“Toothpick arms”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Publicly Body Shamed Bruce Willis After Rejecting $139M Movie

Bruce Willis is one of the most gifted actors Hollywood has ever produced. The actor has a distinguished filmography spanning four decades and has appeared in practically every type of film. The 68-year-old started his career with the 1954 TV series Moonlighting and continued being part of comedy and drama flicks. However, he shocked the world when he agreed to enter the action franchise.

During that time, the industry was filled with action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and many others. The 1988 film Die Hard was first offered to Schwarzenegger, who rejected it, and that was Bruce Willis’s chance to be an action hero. The 76-year-old later publicly body-shamed the Die Hard star, claiming he would never be an action star.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger publicly mocked Bruce Willis

Hollywood legend Bruce Willis has starred in some of the most iconic action films of all time, and Die Hard got him into the action franchise. Surprisingly, the 1988 film, directed by John McTiernan, was first offered to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 76-year-old, a renowned figure in the industry, turned down the offer. He wanted to try other films, so the director was left with no choice but to star Bruce Willis. 

The Predator actor turned down the offer, but he afterward had some unfavorable things to say about the 68-year-old. Author Nick de Semlyen revealed in his book The Last Action Heroes, that Schwarzenegger publicly mocked The Expendables star after the debut of Die Hard.

The Predator star once yelled across a restaurant to Willis, “Know why you’ll never be an action star?”  When the Die Hard star asked him the reason, the 76-year-old said, “Toothpick arms,”  as he pointed to his biceps.

The role in Die Hard was a turning point for Willis. The 1998 film grossed $139 million at the box office. The franchise recently celebrated 35 years in the industry and was marked as the film that vaulted Willis as a global action star.

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Bruce Willis struggled shooting Die Hard

Bruce Willis, known for his exciting action-packed thrillers and captivating performances, has strongly established himself as one of the industry’s most enduring and beloved actors. However, the actor, after entering the action franchise, struggled to shoot the film. His first day on the set of Die Hard was a nightmare.

After famous action stars rejected the 1988 film Willis’ agent took advantage of the crisis and signed him up for a whopping $5 million, which was a lot in the 80s.

The 68-year-old had to perform some insane stunts in addition to the obstacles he faced to enter the action genre. Consequently, his abilities were put to the test on the first day of shooting. 

Willis was supposed to plunge shirtless into an inflatable airbag from a five-story garage. If that weren’t terrifying enough, shortly after the actor landed, gas bags burst up, pushing Willis to the edge of the bag and almost killing him.

Die Hard franchise is available on Hulu.

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Source: The Last Action Heroes