anyone else thinks that bruce willis - Moonlighting (1985) Discussion

[–] 16 years ago

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So true. It's a natural progression for an actor to find some way (any way) to break through and to then seek the respect of his/her peers through serious, critically acclaimed work. That "progression" is a different path for every different actor. Tom Hanks broke through with the weekly shenanigans of "Bosom Buddies", and years later began to take himself quite seriously. His commitment to serious work has given us unforgettable moments and unforgettable movies through the years. Oscars and movie star money, with the love of a global audience and the respect of his Hollywood peers; yet his (Hanks) work will never ever be as cool and funny as Bruce Willis' years on "Moonlighting". Irreverent and relevant, charming and disarming, his David Addison had a unique combination of devil and angel that has never been seen on TV before or since. His motion picture work has given us unforgettable movies, but not the characters or moments that we've seen from some of his sublime peers. No matter. If I need some inspiration (as an actor), you-tubing "Moonlighting" works as well as anything else. I watched it originally when I was young, and perhaps it makes me feel young again.

The question is: Could he (Willis) do it again today? Or is the 'whiplash smile' style something that only works effectively for the relatively young. Billy Idols' post-80's music doesn't quite have that same Tabasco kick to it, huh? Besides the film work of Nicholson and, dare I say, the television work of Shatner, when do we see more mature actors being young again- for the very first time?

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] d12343 15 years ago

that's so true - Willis is the best in Moonlighting. I remember watching the show as a kid and laughing histerically at Addison's lines and how they were delivered by Willis.
anybody knows to what extent Willis was free to improvise?? somehow it seems to me that quite a lot...or maybe that's what I want to believe;P

I like Willis till today, but Moonlighting and Blind Date are the absolute top!

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[–] KidKeystone 15 years ago

The Bruce Willis "find" was possibly the most amazing casting coup in tv history. The film test with Cybil had "lightning bolts" flashing.
Thanks, Glen Gordon Caron.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] The_Goodfellah 15 years ago

<<The Bruce Willis "find" was possibly the most amazing casting coup in tv history. The film test with Cybil had "lightning bolts" flashing.
THANKS, Glen Gordon Caron. >>

Yup :)

THANKS : )

Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.
Having socks in your mouth doesn't make you a good actor.

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[–] Canuck21 15 years ago

So true. Was it Glen Gordon Caron who found Bruce Willis? Whoever was the one responsible for discovering Bruce Willis is a genius. I myself would probably have doubts about the actor because at first glance, he's not the typical handsome leading man type of guy. Ever since though, I've fallen in love with every characters he has portrayed even when I didn't care for the movies themselves. It takes a few minutes or maybe a little longer to get used to him, but after that, it's hard to resist his charm. He is one of my favourite actors, extremely talented and one of the most versatile

I must say that choosing Cybill Shepherd was also quite a daring move because from what I've read, most of Hollywood hated her thanks to her former partner, the director who she had an affair with. He almost ruined her career due to extremely bad decisions, but thanks to Moonlighting, she could finally show the world what she's capable of. I thought she was great as Maddie Hayes and she and Bruce had the greatest chemistry in the history of television. They're for freaking great together on screen.

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[–] contrarywise 14 years ago

I think I read that Caron had to fight the network to cast him, an unknown.

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[–] lyliakar 12 years ago

Hi, I'm currently watching again the show on DVD, and in the extra features Glenn Caron says the actors had to improvise a lot since the scripts were never completed in time, and he couldn't have done that, had he not trusted his actors completely. All of them were in fact great and even Mark Harmon, whom, as you may remember, appeared in a few episodes, had to improvise some of the dialogues.

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[–] SCY385-1 14 years ago

I happen to think that David Addison is the best of any Bruce Willis portrayals. It helps that I love guys like Addison anyway. What makes a man hot to me is the fact that he can make me laugh. Don't care for 'metro-sexuals' Don't like he-whores. Don't like guys with 'P-Diddy; I-Got-Money Syndrome'. But, I can relate to blue-collar, down-to-Earth guys who can make me laugh my ass off. To me, that's David Addison types. So, yes Bruce Willis is totally hot in Moonlighting and it wouldn't have taken three seasons for to get with him. Maybe one season!

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[–] sharpfish 14 years ago

Bruce as David was one of the best things on T.V. Would love to see Bruce doing more 'proper' Comedy roles. I was a kid at the time of Moonlighting. Nostalgia aside, there's something magical about it that no other show had.

And I'm a straight male, so no I didn't think Bruce was 'hot' or whatever (I quite fancied Maddie though ;) ) but I did think Bruce was as cool as *beep* and funny with it.

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[–] Lets_talk_about_that 14 years ago

I also was a child in the 80s when Moonlighting was on. I watched it and loved it, there really was something different and special about it. I loved how in the course of literally one scene, they could go from doing hilarious banter and slapstick comedy to getting deeply serious and moving. I loved the way that David and Maddie would stare at each other in a really serious way, often at night after hours in the office; no words were needed at those times.

I do think that Bruce Willis was really hot as David Addison because he had this funny, brash, tough guy thing going on but also his moments of vulnerability and quietude. Those things together are very attractive. Love this show so much.

"I'm a mannequin. That's what I am, I'm a mannequin." -The Twilight Zone

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[–] jane_bront 13 years ago

^This. I was in high school when Moonlighting was primetime and popular and I was so ga-ga for David Addison! Bruce was incredibly hot in the role.

~"Chris, am I weird?"
~"Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird."

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[–] opryphantom1 10 years ago

funny (yes) Where did you see him "b4" MOONLIGHTING? I thought he was unknown.

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[–] jakejenkins86 8 years ago

I think she just meant that she didn't watch it when it was on the air for whatever reason (too young or wasn't even born perhaps) but has seen it fairly recently.

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[–] steph_elisa 9 years ago

Yes, I felt the same way! I loved Bruce Willis back in the day! Now...not so much. Mark Harmon is my hero now.

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[–] sarah-103 8 years ago

I loved Bruce Willis back in the day! Now...not so much. Mark Harmon is my hero now.

I totally know know what you mean. Bruce Willis in "Moonlighting" makes me weak in the knees. I love that devil may care attitude, the wit, the great taste in music, that killer smile, and that sparkle/mischief in his eyes. Mark Harmon has aged really well, and in "NCIS" is a total fox.

"Forget reality, give me a picture"-Remington Steele

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[–] tjorjab 7 years ago

Yep!!

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