The Razzie Awards on Thursday announced their decision to reverse an honor for “worst performance” bestowed on Bruce Willis earlier this month after announcing his aphasia diagnosis.
“After much thought and deliberation, the Razzies have made the decision to void the Razzie Award bestowed on Bruce Willis based on his recently announced diagnosis,” said John Wilson and Mo Murphy, co-founders of the Razzies, in a statement. “Where an individual’s medical condition is a factor in their decision-making and/or performance, we recognize that giving them a raid is not appropriate.”
The actor’s performance in sci-fi action film Cosmic Sin was recognized by Bruce Willis in a 2021 film in the now-removed Worst Performance category. The Razzies, a spoof awards show that usually recognizes the worst performances in cinema, had nominated Willis for seven more roles, so the Worst Performance category focused entirely on the actor.
Willis’ family said in a public statement on Wednesday that the veteran actor was “quitting” his career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive, language-based disorder that affects the ability to understand and express language.
The 67-year-old actor is still best known for thrillers like the Die Hard franchise and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, but has landed roles in a number of smaller-budget films in recent years, including Gasoline Alley, Out of death and hard kill.
In the same statement, Wilson and Murphy also referenced their decision to annul an award given to Shelley Duvall. “As we mentioned in a recent Vulture interview, extenuating circumstances also apply to Shelley Duvall in The Shining. We’ve since discovered that Duvall’s performance was influenced by Stanley Kubrick’s handling of her throughout production. We would like to take this opportunity to withdraw her 1980 nomination as well.”