Michael Bay on Bruce Willis’ Aphasia Diagnosis and ‘Fond Memories’ Working Together

Michael Bay is opening up about his new movie “Ambulance,” and working with Bruce Willis in the past.

Willis’ family recently revealed the star is suffering from aphasia, and Bay told “Extra’s” Rachel Lindsay, “It’s very sad. I have very fond memories of Bruce from ‘Armageddon.’ He was tough for the first month. I was a young director… He’s a big movie star.”

Bay explained, “We got along once Jerry Bruckheimer said, ‘Show him some footage,’ so I did and [Bruce] said, ‘You should have shown me this a lot sooner, I would have been nicer to you.’” Michael recalled, “He was fun to work with.”

Last week, Willis’ wife Emma Heming, his ex-wife Demi Moore, as well as his children Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, Tallulah, 28, Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 7, were part of a joint statement announcing Bruce was stepping away from acting.

That message stated, in part, “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

Meanwhile, Bay also talked about “Ambulance,” a chase thriller centering around a decorated veteran who teams up with his adoptive brother to steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank to pay for his wife's medical bills. The two wannabe robbers steal an ambulance after the heist.

Bay described it as, “All of L.A. is chasing you but you’re so intimate in this box right here,” referencing the ambulance.

Michael also talked about shooting in L.A. where he grew up. He said, “I started directing when I was 21… I was bored here, I had not shot here in 9 years… It was time to do an L.A. movie.”

The director went on, “L.A.’s got the shiny, sexy, but it has a seedy underbelly… It was the height of the pandemic… It was good to be around people and shoot again.”