Although Bruce Willis began professionally acting in 1980 and gained attention for his performance as David Addison in Moonlighting, it’s safe to say he achieved worldwide popularity in 1988 when he starred as John McClane as Die Hard. Not only did Die Hard launch a film series stretching to 2013, it’s still considered to be one of the best action movies all these decades later and has more than earned its pop culture notoriety. Among the many ways this is exemplified is Willis’ character having his own wax figure, and attraction that his wife and kids recently visited and chronicled through pictures.
In addition to visiting Willis’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Emma Heming Willis, the actor’s wife of 14 years, and the two daughters they’ve had together, 11-year-old Mabel and 9-year-old Evelyn, stopped by Madame Tussauds Hollywood to see the wax figure modeled after John McClane. Take a look!
As you can see, the figure is modeled after Bruce Willis’ later outings as McClane, i.e. from either Live Free or Die Hard or A Good Day to Die Hard. This pic is a screen cap from a video where Evelyn went up to wax John McClane, said "Guys, it's Dad!”, then wagged a finger in front of its face and exclaimed, "You better be on your best behavior!" Heming also noted on Instagram that this isn’t the first time that the family has visited Madame Tussauds Hollywood to check out wax McClane, and she provided a look at how the 2018 excursion went.
This visit came not long after Emma Heming Willis reflected on the not-so “conventional” way Bruce Willis is fathering their kids these days. Remember, at the end of March 2022, Willis announced he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects areas of the brain that control language and comprehension. Then this past February, he received a more specific diagnosis of frontemporal dementia, and there are unfortunately no treatments for the disease. In the midst of taking care of her husband, Heming has been making sure to carve out personal time for herself here and there for her mental health.
Still, it’s not like good times have been few and far between in the midst of Bruce Willis’ health struggles. Along with Heming going to Madame Tussauds Hollywood with her daughters, she and Willis renewed their vows in March, which was followed not long after by Heming sharing an adorable video to celebrate Mabel’s birthday. Then by late April, Willis officially became a grandpa thanks to Rumer Willis, his eldest daughter from his marriage with Demi Moore, confirming her baby’s birth. So while things are certainly challenging in the Willis family these days, it’s nice to know there are periodic bright spots.
The last of Bruce Willis’ movies, Detective Knight: Independence and Assassin, were both released direct-to-video earlier this year. If you’re interested in experiencing the glory of the original Die Hard after seeing that wax figure, it can be streamed with a Starz add-on for your Hulu subscription.
