Bruce Willis broke strict rules which resulted in his not being credited in the Quentin Tarantino film
Due to a bizarre rulebreak, Bruce Willis went uncredited when he appeared in one of Quentin Tarantino’s lesser-known films.
Willis appeared in 1995’s “Four Rooms” for free, as a favor to the director and just for fun, which meant the megastar could not be given any film credit.
This comes just a year after the two collaborated on the smash hit Pulp Fiction.
Four Rooms is an anthology of four stories, each directed by a different person and set in a different hotel room.
It follows a porter on his first day at the fictional Hotel Mon Signor as he encounters very different guests and experiences in each segment.
Bizarre: Bruce Willis wasn’t featured in ‘Four Rooms’ in 1995 due to Screen Actors Guild rules preventing it on the grounds that he was unpaid (a still from the film)
Team player: Quentin Tarantino was one of four directors on the film, each responsible for one of the title rooms
You’re welcome: Willis appeared in the film for free after collaborating with Tarantino on Pulp Fiction as Butch Coolidge (above).
Tarantino directed the final installment, Penthouse, in which he also plays a fictional filmmaker named Chester Rush, alongside Willis as one of his friends, Leo.
When protagonist Ted (Tim Roth) enters the penthouse, he is met by Leo, who is arguing with his wife on the phone while he and Chester celebrate the success of a recent movie.
The film flopped but didn’t slow down Tarantino’s success with his breakthrough work, Pulp Fiction, which was also significant for Willis.
The Die Hard actor was having a string of disappointing performances at the time, which is perhaps why he felt he owed Tarantino so much that he didn’t take payment for his performance on Four Rooms.
However, under the rules of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), he was barred from crediting.
Among those given official credits for their performances elsewhere in the film were Madonna and Antonio Banderas.
Perhaps given the film’s mixed reviews, it was a small blessing that it didn’t get credited.
He cemented his reputation as Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction, with acclaimed performances like that in The Sixth Sense interspersed with appearances in less well-received blockbusters like The Jackal and Mercury Rising.
Bruce was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia last March.
Multi-talent: In addition to directing “Penthouse – The Man from Hollywood”, Tarantino appears as a successful director, Willis plays his friend