NEWSJohn Goodman Credits Dementia-Stricken Bruce Willis for Taking 'Care of' Him During Early Stages of Hollywood Career
John Goodman reflected on his friendship with Bruce Willis.
Sept. 29 2026, Published 11:38 a.m. ET
John Goodman opened up about his longtime friendship with Bruce Willis.
At the Director's Village theater in Los Angeles for the premiere of Digger on Monday, September 28, Goodman said he would often see Willis, 71, around the time he got his role in the hit '80s drama Moonlighting.
'He Took Care of Me…I Love Him So Much'
John Goodman opened up during the Los Angeles premier of 'Digger.'
The 74-year-old told People, "I remember when he got the Moonlighting job, and we were at the bar where he used to work at, and we all hung out at, and he jumped over a railing. I think he broke my shoulder, but he was so happy."
"That’s all we did was talk about acting when we were at work, when we were out goofing around. I could tell how serious he was. I started working out here [in LA] about a year or two later after he did,” Goodman continued.
The Roseanne alum added, "He took care of me…I love him so much."
John Goodman and Bruce Willis starred in 'Once Upon a Time in Venice' together.
The actor, who previously guest-starred in an episode of Moonlighting, told the news outlet he has not seen Willis in some time, but mainly because he doesn’t live in Los Angeles.
Goodman has talked about his friendship with Willis regularly throughout the years, with the pair previously starring alongside each other in the 2017 action-comedy film Once Upon a Time in Venice.
Back in 2017, Goodman admitted he only agreed to do the film for a chance to collaborate with his old friend.
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'It Meant Working With Bruce'
In 2017, John Goodman shared that he and Bruce Willis 'didn't miss a beat.'
"I honestly didn’t know if I’d have the chance to do it again," he said about working with Willis.
"It was just goofy and it meant working with Bruce," he explained to CBS. "I’ve known Bruce since 1979, and we’ve never worked together. I worked on Moonlighting, but the two of us never actually worked together on a project."
"We didn’t miss a beat," he added. "We just jumped right into it, and it was just very relaxing, which mostly was the battle, I think."
Bruce Willis Stepped Away From Acting in 2022
Bruce Willis was diagnosed with a specific type of dementia.
Willis' family first announced in March 2022 that he would be stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that can affect a person's ability to communicate.
In February 2023, his family revealed that his condition had progressed and that doctors had given him a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD.
Since then, his family has provided occasional updates while advocating for awareness surrounding the disease.
