Entertainment
Turns out Bruce Willis hasn’t sold his digital rights to Deepfake after all-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
He won’t have a digital twin anytime soon.
Bruce is fine just being Bruce in the real world for the time being (Picture: George Pimentel/WireImage)
No, Bruce Willis has not sold his digital likeness to a deepfake
production company, despite what recent reports said.
It was previously reported that the 67-year-old former actor could soon be starring in films alongside late Hollywood legends, like Marilyn Monroe, thanks to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
It was thought that Bruce had become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to tech firm Deepcake, allowing his moving and talking image to be used in films and TV and for movie actors past and present to star on screen together.
However, a representative for the star – who was forced into retirement after his aphasia diagnosis – has denied the reports.
They told The Hollywood Reporter that he has ‘no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.’
His spokesperson did confirm a deepfake of the Die Hard star was created for a 2021 ad campaign, but said any future usage of the likeness would have to be cleared by Bruce.
The Hollywood icon has denied reports that he will have a digital twin anytime soon (Picture: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
The 2021 ad in question was for a Russian phone commercial, and the likeness to Bruce really was uncanny – it was hard to believe it wasn’t actually him.
A publicist for Deepcake also spoke to THR, and said Bruce’s digital likeness could not have been sold in the first place as he is their only owner.
It seems the reports surfaced about Bruce wanting to create his own ‘digital twin’ after a statement was supposedly issued by the actor himself.
The statement recently appeared on Deepcake’s official website, in which he apparently spoke about his deepfake appearing in a European advertising campaign.
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Bruce was said to have seen it as a ‘great opportunity for me to go back in time,’ and he allegedly added: ‘With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent.
‘It’s a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I (am) grateful to our team.’
Dad-of-five Bruce was announced to have retired from his acting career in March after he was diagnosed with aphasia – characterised by difficulty with language or speech.
It is usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain, responsible for understanding and producing language.
The Die Hard actor, pictured here in 1990, was forced to retire due to his aphasia (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)
The news he was retiring was revealed through a post shared to his daughter Rumer’s Instagram account, and which was signed by several of his children and family members, including his former wife Demi Moore.
They said his aphasia was impacting his ‘cognitive abilities,’ adding that it was a ‘really challenging time’ for their family.
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‘We are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support.,’ they added.
‘As Bruce always says, “Live it up” and together we plan to do just that.’
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