The action thriller follows New York policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis), who attempts to rescue his wife, Holly Gennaro McClane (Bonnie Bedelia), and others who are taken hostage during a Christmas Eve party.
March 1995.Bruce Willis is starring in the new Die Hard movie. (Credit: 20th Century Fox/Getty Images)
For Emma, 47, the film remains an essential part of the Willis family celebrations. “I think it’s important to put ‘Die Hard’ because it’s a Christmas movie,” he told People.
His stance differs from Bruce’s famously blunt stance. During the “Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis” in 2018, the star insisted, “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a freaking Bruce Willis movie!”
Bruce Willis attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at the Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Bruce retired from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to speak and understand. In 2023, his family revealed that his symptoms had progressed to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a disorder that affects language, behavior, and personality.
Despite these challenges, Emma says the Willis family continues to find meaning and joy during the holidays. The mother of two, who has daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with Bruce, told the outlet, “Still happy. It just looks different.”
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Bruce Willis and wife Emma Willis (Credit: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
She acknowledged the emotional difficulty many families face when caring for loved ones with dementia, adding, “You have to learn and adapt and make new memories, bring back the same traditions you had before.
“Life goes on. It just keeps going on. Dementia is hard, but there’s still joy in it,” she said. “I think it’s important that we don’t create such a negative picture around dementia.”
Bruce Willis’s wife Emma Heming Willis{ } (Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty)
Emma recently opened up about the huge lack of support the family received when Bruce was first diagnosed. He told Yahoo! “The day we received the diagnosis, we walked out of that appointment with nothing – no hope, no direction, no support.”
The early years were especially difficult, she said, adding, “With FTD, those early years are very difficult because you’re trying to figure out in real time that this is a progressive disease.” As Bruce’s needs changed, she added, “You have to increase support.”
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