Bruce Willis is one of the most loved actors in Hollywood. Despite retiring from the field, he is just as respected as he was in his prime. Many even find it rather astonishing to meet the legendary actor for the first time. However, Chris Tucker does not think so. Out of the many movies that the actor has done, The Fifth Element became a movie many were eager to do because of Willis’s involvement.
The actor also got to collaborate with Chris Tucker, a comedian and actor who has done some rather iconic movies. Unfortunately, meeting Willis had been bittersweet for him. In fact, it had been weird considering how the Die Hard actor had been adamant about Tucker not being involved in the film whatsoever, something he is glad he did not give into.
Bruce Willis Wanted Chris Tucker Out Of The Fifth Element
Bruce Willis and Chris Tucker collaborated on The Fifth Element, a movie he almost quit. This was because Willis advised him to do so. At a time when almost everyone was eager to work with the actor, the $263 Million movie was being made. This added an eagerness for the actors and Tucker happened to be one of them.
“Probably when Bruce Willis came up to me on the first day of shooting, looked at my outfit and said ‘do you know this could ruin your career?’ Then Luc Besson yelled ACTION before I had a chance to quit, and I’m so glad he did.”
The movie had a lot of bizarre costumes, something that could easily be the highlight or downfall of anyone’s career. Seeing how Tucker was dressed, Willis went on to say that his career could be easily ruined if he worked on the movie with him. This led the actor to actually contemplate whether it was a good idea or not. However, before he could do anything, it got too late for him, and the filming had already begun, forcing him to complete the film regardless.
Chris Tucker Replaced Prince
Before Chris Tucker was asked to play the character of Ruby Rhud, the director’s first choice of the role had been none other than Prince. According to the actor, he had also pitched in a lot of ideas for The Fifth Element, all of which had been subsequently rejected.
“He said, ‘You played that part in Fifth Element. I was supposed to play that part,’ I said, ‘For real?’ He said, ‘Well, I didn’t like the costumes. I didn’t like those.’ And I looked at him and I said, ‘But you got your butt hanging out your pants!’ He said, ‘But this is my design, my design.’”
Tucker even met the pop star who reminded him of how the role he got was initially his. The actor admitted that had he known about the costumes, he would have long left the role. Due to his ignorance, he had no idea and ended up being in a massive hit.
Source: Reddit
