Bruce Willis was under red hot fire on Tuesday after he was photographed not wearing a mask in a Los Angeles Rite-Aid. According to the report, the Die Hard actor refused to pull up the bandana around his neck after customers shopping alongside him showed concern. The 65-year-old apparently left the store without any items rather than following the safety guidelines put in place due to the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Following the story, the actor started trending online and was harshly criticized for refusing to adhere to Los Angeles guidelines amidst the county’s surge in cases as of late. Bruce Willis has now responded to what happened with this statement:
It was an error in judgment. Be safe out there everyone and let's continue to mask up.
Bruce Willis’ statement to People is brief, but indicates he is on the side of safety after his actions at the Rite-Aid. The actor urged others to “mask up” as the state of California faces over two million COVID-19 cases – Los Angeles County is the epicenter, with 930,000 positive cases in the region he lives in with his wife and two younger daughters.
Prior to Bruce Willis’ statement, Emma Heming Willis was confronted about the Bruce Willis pharmacy story via her Instagram post promoting her “Wellness Wednesdays.” One commenter claimed Willis is a “hero and a legend” for skipping the mask, which was called “tyrannical” by the user. She responded with this:
Bruce is a hero and legend but he still needs to be wearing a mask and he knows that… he made a terrible mistake. Unfortunately sometimes that happens when you’re human. He will acknowledge it and own it.
And true to her word, Bruce Willis has gone public to promote mask-wearing during a particularly rough time for health safety, including for the Hollywood industry. Back when quarantine orders began in March 2020, Bruce Willis was visiting his ex-wife Demi Moore and his three eldest daughters in their family home in Idaho. In order to adhere to the rapid spread of COVID-19, the Willis’s decided to quarantine with each other for weeks, while Emma and his other kids stayed over in Los Angeles.
Bruce Wilis did reunite with his LA-based family when it was safe to and recently was pictured celebrating Christmas with them in matching pajamas at his California home. Safety certainly seems to be important to Demi Moore and his first children too since they posted this photo for the holidays:
It’s odd that Bruce Willis decided to defy Los Angeles safety guidelines with this in mind, but he did own up to it and use it as an opportunity to spread the message of mask wearing. We’ll keep you posted here on CinemaBlend. In the meantime, check out what movies to look forward to this year with our 2021 movie schedule.
