Bruce Willis hadn’t yet saved the world from total annihilation in “Armageddon” when Will Smith saved it from an alien invasion in the 1996 blockbuster “Independence Day.” But it’s not hard to see why Bruce was someone Will modeled himself after — Bruce had successfully transitioned from television to movies while filming the series “Moonlighting,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star was hoping to do the same.
At a 1996 press junket, Will said that Bruce influenced how he played his character in “Independence Day,” noting that Bruce “plays heroes that don’t want to be heroes.” As an example, Will cited the older actor’s famous scene in “Die Hard” that required him to reluctantly run over broken glass while barefoot, per Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
But it was Bruce who turned to the younger star for advice when Demi Moore moved on with Ashton Kutcher three years after Bruce and Moore’s 2000 divorce. Smith already had some experience with post-divorce dynamics; Will’s ex-wife Sheree Zampino, and Jada Pinkett Smith developed such a close relationship that Jada described the three of them as being in “a non-sexual throuple” on “Red Table Talk.” In 2007, Bruce recalled to Playboy (via Page Six), “[Will] said, ‘Dude, you’ve got to do whatever it takes to get the kids and all the spouses or the girlfriend together. You’ve got to show your kids it’s OK.’ It was like a light went on. Ding. So Will, thanks.” Now, Bruce has a very strong blended family.
