American actor Bruce Willis might not be actively working right now, but he has made over a hundred movies in his career spanning more than four decades. He rose to prominence for his performance in the comedy-drama series Moonlighting and was catapulted to stardom due to his role as the action hero John McClane in the Die Hard franchise.

In 1995, Bruce Willis was cast in the lead role in the Terry Gilliam movie 12 Monkeys which is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi films to date. The Sixth Sense actor was not director Gilliam’s first choice. To make sure that Willis stays true to his character, the director went to great lengths.

Bruce Willis

Terry Gilliam Gave a List to Bruce Willis

British filmmaker Terry Gilliam is mostly known for directing films set in dystopian worlds or dealing with dark comedy or tragicomedy elements. 12 Monkeys is of the former kind; set in the future where the world has been destroyed by an unknown disease. The lead character, a prisoner James Cole (portrayed by Bruce Willis) is sent back to the past to find out the disease’s origin.

Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt in a scene from 12 Monkeys

The Brothers Grimm director had perfectionist tendencies (labeled as The Hamster Factor by his crew) while making 12 Monkeys. So, he gave Bruce Willis a list of ‘Willis acting clichés’ which the actor was asked to avoid. This list also included the Pulp Fiction star’s signature ‘steely blue eyes look’. Bruce Willis was committed to the list if his critically praised tortured performance is anything to go by.

Willis was not the only actor on whom Gilliam had put restrictions. Brad Pitt, who was just starting in the industry at the time, had to give a rapid-fire dialogue for which he was sent to a speech coach but that didn’t really help. Consequently, the director turned to sensory deprivation by taking away Pitt’s cigarettes to get him to give his best performance.

Bruce Willis Was Not Terry Gilliam’s First Choice

Terry Gilliam had a reputation that he only directed the scripts that he wrote himself. Thankfully, he liked the one written by David and Janet Peoples for 12 Monkeys. However, the casting proved to be a hurdle for him. For the role of Jeffrey Goines, he had chosen Jeff Bridges with whom he had worked in The Fisher King, and for James Cole, he had Nick Nolte in his mind.

Bruce Willis and Terry Gilliam

The production house disapproved of Gilliam’s choices because they wanted a star. In his hunt for the perfect James Cole, he turned down Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage. While speaking to Inverse, the Tideland director explained why he found it difficult to cast Bruce Willis in the lead role, saying:

“I had never been a great fan of Bruce’s before, but I liked talking to him, and I thought, ‘OK, this guy’s smart; he’s funny,’ ‘I explained to him my concerns about him as an actor. I hated the Trumpian mouth he does in films. Rectal. It’s like I’m looking at somebody’s a**hole.”

In the end, Willis and Gilliam managed to work out their differences and the the product of their hard work was incredibly satisfying as 12 Monkeys enjoyed both critical and commercial success.