Australian director Edward Drake reveals Bruce Willis’ ’live it up’ mantra as he battled dementia

An Aussie director who made Bruce Willis’ final films has told how the star was determined to keep making movies despite his condition.

Exclusive: An Australian director who made nine movies with Bruce Willis during the pandemic has revealed the Hollywood star’s determination to keep acting even as he battled a neurological condition.

Edward Drake, a self-proclaimed “Die Hard diehard”, is now lobbying for the action hero’s achievements on screen to be acknowledged with an honorary Oscar.

Willis’s family last month announced he had frontotemporal dementia, a year after a diagnosis of aphasia – a disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand and express speech – pulled the curtain on his acting career.

Most of his final films were made with Drake, who wrote nine action screenplays and directed seven in a “crazy filming model” during the Covid crisis in the United States.

Australian director Edward Drake on set with Bruce Willis. Picture: Supplied

“His philosophy and mantra was ‘live it up’,” the 32-year-old said of Willis.

Drake said he was conscious of structuring his filming schedule – to shoot movies in eight or nine days under strict Covid rules – to get the best out of Willis as his condition worsened.

“Everyone was definitely aware of what was going on, and we wanted to honour the man and his wishes and create this incredibly safe and supportive environment along with his team,” he said.

“That meant adjusting some of the roles that he played, some of the dialogue, some of the action to accommodate but always to empower, and make sure that we’re supporting and celebrating the legacy of Bruce throughout every single one of these films.”

Bruce Willis filming Drake’s movie American Siege. Picture: Supplied

The last movie in their run together, Detective Knight: Independence, was released in January.

Drake, from Melbourne, said his “Australian cheekiness” appealed to Willis when they first collaborated in 2020 on Anti-Life, a film he had written after hearing the Armageddon star was keen to make an “old-fashioned sci-fi” movie.

“To be able to work with Bruce and learn from him was incredible,” he said.

“He’s a phenomenal human being … He’s the kindest actor I’ve ever come across, and I don’t say that lightly.”

During their work together, Willis said Drake’s passion was “rocket fuel”.

“Honestly, Ed is a terrible influence,” he said.

“A guy my age shouldn’t be doing stunts. But Ed pulls a Jedi mind trick and suddenly I’m dangling off the side of a truck with one hand shooting at bad guys.”

After Willis’s dementia diagnosis, Drake said an honorary Academy Award was “the least we can do” to recognise the 67-year-old, who never won an Oscar.

“We have so many great memories about his movies and I really believe that should be honoured,” he said.

Originally published as Australian director Edward Drake reveals Bruce Willis’ ’live it up’ mantra as he battled dementia