Hollywood, naturally, is a massive global network, but it’s also a close-knit community on many levels. A-list celebrities often form family units while working on projects, and friends reunite for movies and television shows over the years. Just ask Ryan Reynolds, who finally convinced his longtime pal Hugh Jackman to slip back on the Wolverine claws for one of the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movies in years. Because Hollywood can celebrate together, they also often mourn together. And reports are coming out that Friends sensation Jennifer Aniston is struggling with Bruce Willis’s recent diagnosis, particularly in the wake of Matthew Perry’s death.
Jennifer Aniston worked very closely with Bruce Willis when the A-lister appeared on Friends for a four-episode arc in which they were romantically entwined. As I wrote about in my new Bruce Willis book, the Pulp Fiction star agreed to appear on Friends only after losing a bet to Matthew Perry, his co-star in the comedy hit The Whole NIne Yards. But the cameo worked in Willis’s favor, as he ended up winning his second Emmy Award for his Friends role. And now, after working so closely with both Perry and Willis, Aniston is having a hard time dealing with the back-to-back devastating reveals.
A source close to The Morning Show actress spoke with Closer Weekly, and told the magazine:
Jen has looked up to Bruce since the beginning of her career, and in a lot of ways, followed in his footsteps. Like Bruce, Jen worked a bunch of dead-end jobs during her New York years before she finally broke into network television. … Because Jen has a genuine friendship with Demi Moore over the years, she would see Bruce socially pretty regularly and when Bruce finally became too ill to act or even socialize, Jen felt for Bruce and his family deeply, and it was just as much of an end of an era for her as Matthew’s untimely death. … Jen reacts to bad news the same way everybody else does: it’s too real for Jen and she absolutely hates it.
The Friends cast reeled following the news of Matthew Perry’s death, with Jennifer Aniston telling people that they were texting the morning of his passing. Since the actor’s death, Aniston has tried to tell fans how best to honor Perry, and it sounds like she is figuring out how to manage that act, herself.
At the same time, she’s also dealing with the crushing news of Bruce Willis, whose dementia diagnosis is slowly eroding his ability to process language and communication. Which is a shame when you look back on the chemistry this duo shared on Friends.
News on Bruce Willis’s condition has been touch and go. We often get updates from his current wife or his adult daughters telling us ways that they are celebrating the man. And when we focus on his work, we will always have terrific movies and television shows to remind us about Willis in his prime. Here’s hoping that the body of work, and the memories of their time together, brings Aniston and her colleagues some peace and solace.
