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On the “Welcome to Our Show” podcast, “New Girl” stars said Bruce Willis was almost on the sitcom.
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They said the creators wanted Willis for the part of Remy the landlord, which went to Jeff Kober.
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Willis and Zooey Deschanel went on to do a movie together before the actor paused his career.
Bruce Willis is well known for playing John McClane in the “Die Hard” franchise — but the actor was apparently almost on Fox’s “New Girl.”
On Monday’s episode of iHeartRadio’s “New Girl” rewatch podcast, “Welcome to Our Show,” Zooey Deschanel (Jess), Hannah Simone (Cece), and Lamorne Morris (Winston) reminisced about the part Willis could’ve played.
On the podcast, Simone read a text from Josh Malmuth, who wrote season one, episode 12, “The Landlord,” about how they tried to get Bruce Willis to play Remy the landlord.
Willis’ “people said he ‘wanted to do the show,’ and we waited and waited and never heard anything,” Simone read from Malmuth’s text, adding that the writer said, “I’m sure no one ever told him about it.”
According to Simone, “he was in, apparently,” and the creators waited “as close to the line as they could” before filming. Morris recalled shifting shooting days to try and accommodate Willis’ schedule.
But Simone added, “Or maybe he never knew and never agreed, and this whole thing is a ‘New Girl’ mythology.”
The role ultimately went to actor Jeff Kober, who returned for two more episodes on seasons one and two.
Although it didn’t work out, “New Girl” could’ve been a trip down memory lane for Willis, since the sitcom was shot on a Fox lot located next to Nakatomi Tower from “Die Hard.”
Willis and Deschanel went on to work together, but he’s since stepped away from acting
Willis and Deschanel went on to work together in the comedy “Rock the Kasbah” (2015).
On the podcast, Deschanel said, “He was so nice. I loved him. He was really fun to work with.”
In March, Willis’ daughter, Rumer, announced on Instagram that after being diagnosed with the language and communication disorder aphasia, her father would be “stepping away” from acting.
“Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the caption read. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
Since then, he’s continued to appear in a number of his family’s Instagram posts. Most recently, his wife, Emma Heming Willis, posted a video of Willis teaching his daughter, Evelyn, how to rollerskate.
Willis’ representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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