Despite being in their mid-70s, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone continue to prove that age is just a number when it comes to onscreen action heroism, which makes it all the more bittersweet that the third member of the Planet Hollywood and entire genre’s Holy Trinity has been forced to step away from the silver screen.
If you were asked to name the three biggest action icons of the 1980s and 1990s, then the list would inevitably be comprised of longtime rivals-turned-friends Schwarzenegger and Stallone, along with Die Hard icon Bruce Willis. Tragically, the latter’s diagnosis with aphasia saw him announce his retirement from acting altogether, before he was later revealed to be suffering from dementia.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Austrian Oak was reflecting on getting the chance to headline a blockbuster Netflix series at an age where many of his contemporaries are either slowing down or calling it quits altogether, which made his comments on Willis in an interview with CinemaBlend deliver a gut-punch squarely in the feels of fans everywhere.
“I think that he’s fantastic. He was, always for years and years, is a huge, huge star. And I think that he will always be remembered as a great, great star. And a kind man. I understand that under his circumstances, health-wise, that he had to retire. But in general, you know, we never really retire. Action heroes, they reload.”
Willis may never be seen on-camera again, but he’s already left behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come, a boat Schwarzenegger also finds himself in. When the time comes for the latter to quit running and gunning, the next reload is going to be just around the corner.