In 1990, Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis shared screen space together in The Bonfire of the Vanities, along with a glittering ensemble cast that included the likes of Morgan Freeman, Melanie Griffith, and Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson. Despite having a whole host of stars, the film failed badly at the box office and left fans and critics unimpressed as well.
It looks like the woes for director Brian De Palma started right at the outset with his lead stars. It was reported that Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks could not get along with each other, with Hanks calling out the Die Hard star’s supposedly high-handed demeanor on set that isolated him from the rest of the cast.
The Time Tom Hanks Showed Bruce Willis His Place
Two big A-listers working together on a film can be challenging in many ways and Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis realized the impact first-hand while working on their film, The Bonfire of the Vanities. This black comedy directed by Brian De Palma, was touted to be a huge blockbuster owing to the star power of the two celebrities, but ended up being a damp squib instead.
A major part of the film’s failure to impress was due to the alleged feud between the Unbreakable star and the Forrest Gump actor, who apparently did not see eye to eye on set. In one particular instance, Hanks, Willis, and Director Brian De Palma were brainstorming over a scene, when Willis bragged about how easily he would nail the take thanks to his experience in his breakthrough show, Moonlighting. In a quote that appeared on IMDb, the usually mild-mannered Hanks who was riled up by this comment, said to his co-star,
“Where’s that sh*t eating grin?. There it is, sh*t eating grin right there on screen“
This was rumored to be just one of the incidents that drove a wedge between the two actors. It was reported that Hanks and Willis hardly interacted during the course of filming, with the Jackal star remaining aloof from the rest of the cast with only his bodyguards and stylists for company.
Bruce Willis Regretted Starring in The Bonfire Of The Vanities
The Bonfire of the Vanities starring Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks, was adapted from Tom Wolfe’s bestselling 1987 novel. While the film looked to be a blockbuster on paper with two huge stars in Hollywood sharing screen space, it failed miserably at the box office while also receiving a lot of backlash from audiences.
This abysmal performance led to Willis expressing his regret in signing up for the part. In an interview with best-selling author and editor David Sheff, the Die Hard star revealed how the film was doomed right from the outset and the warning signs he should have seen before taking on the role.
“It was stillborn, dead before it ever got out of the box. It was another film that was reviewed before it hit the screen. The critical media didn’t want to see a movie that cast the literary world in a shady light.”
Willis went on to add that this was a film that he would steer clear from doing again, even if he were given the opportunity in the future to improve it or redeem himself through his character.
