Bruce Willis's 'incredibly generous' gesture to former co-star revealed... eight years before his dementia diagnosis

Bruce Willis was hailed as 'an incredibly generous man' by his Broadway co-star Laurie Metcalf Wednesday, amid the actor's ongoing battle with aphasia and dementia.

Metcalf, 70, said Willis, 71, made a habit of 'handing out gifts right and left to the cast and the crew' as they shared the stage for a Will Frears-directed stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 novel Misery in 2015.

The Emmy-winning star, appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast Wednesday, shared an anecdote about how she had a strong rapport with the Die Hard star.

In the production, Willis and Metcalf portrayed the roles of Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes, famously played in the 1990 film from the late Rob Reiner by the late James Caan and Kathy Bates (in an Oscar-winning performance).

Metcalf, an Oscar nominee in 2018 for her work in Lady Bird, said Willis was spending 'hours' getting prosthetics and makeup applied to play the Sheldon character, who is bedridden through the majority of the story.

'I'd sit on the bed with him and we would talk over our day and kids, and I was saying, "Well, my oldest son's coming to town - where should we go?"' Metcalf said.

Metcalf, who played Jackie Harris on Roseanne and, later, The Connors, said Willis advised her to take her son Will Roth to Nobu, 'especially if you like sushi.'

Metcalf on the podcast explained how Willis arranged for them to enjoy a seafood dinner on him: 'The next day I said, "Bruce," at the top of the show, 'I'm taking Will to Nobu - we're very excited" - he said, "Oh, great, I hope you like it."

'And then the next day, maybe after the second show, Will and I went - ordered a ton of stuff - were seated in an extremely nice booth there, as I remember.'

She concluded, 'And of course [I] went to pay, and afterwards [was told], "Oh, I'm sorry, this has been taken care of by Mr. Willis."'

The feted actress said that Willis' star power drew fans into the Broadhurst Theater in the fall of 2015 during the play's run.  

'He filled every seat in that house - sold out because everybody came to see him,' Metcalf said. 'And you know, they knew the title Misery from the movie. 

'It was a weird hybrid between being a book and then a movie, and now a play. So it had some of the best and worst of everything - all jammed together - but they were just screaming his name in the curtain call.'

Metcalf said of Willis: 'Everybody was so happy to be in his presence.' 

The Sixth Sense actor is father to five daughters: Mabel Ray, 14, and Evelyn, 12, with wife Emma Heming Willis, 47; and Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 32, with ex-wife Demi Moore, 63. 

It's been more than four years since Heming released a joint statement via Instagram with Moore and the actor's daughters, announcing that he was stepping back from acting amid his aphasia diagnosis.

In the March 30, 2022 statement, they said that Willis 'has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.

'As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him. 

'This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support.'

They continued: 'We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, "Live it up" and together we plan to do just that.'

The family subsequently issued a statement on February 16, 2023 announcing that Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD), calling it 'the most common form of dementia' and noting that 'there are no treatments for the disease' currently.

'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said. 'Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately.

'We know in our hearts that - if he could today - he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.'

The Mayo Clinic defines aphasia as 'a condition that affects your ability to communicate' that 'can affect your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.'

The actor's family did not announce what caused his bout with aphasia, which has a number of potential causes.

The condition could occur following a head injury or stroke, or can be a predecessor to a brain tumor or Alzheimer's disease. Patients who are living with the condition are typically treated with speech therapy and taught ways to communicate non-verbally.