Earlier reports suggested that the legendary actor had parted ways with the rights to use his “digital twin” in forthcoming film and television productions.
Bruce Willis denies selling his digital likeness to the deepfake organization Deepcake. News has been refuted by Willis. This denial comes just a few days after it was reported that the legendary actor who starred in Die Hard had given his permission for his likeness to be used in future on-screen appearances. Deepfake technology has taken the world by storm due to its astounding capability to replace the likeness of one person with that of another by making use of artificial intelligence.
Since then, a spokesperson for the prolific actor has denied the claims made in the report. A representative for Willis said in a statement that the actor “has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake Company.” The statement was given to The Hollywood Reporter. The publicist for Deepcake told the publication that Willis’ digital twin’s rights cannot be sold because they automatically belong to him and cannot be transferred to another party. The representative went on to explain that the creation of the actor’s digital likeness was curated for commercial campaigns that took place in 2021 and that the star would retain control over the future usage of his digital counterpart.
The actor allegedly sold the rights to allow a “digital twin” of him to be created by Deepcake, an organization that claims it creates “digital twins of people you won’t tell from real.” The denial comes after a report from The Telegraph claimed the actor had sold the rights. Following his initial use in an advertisement for the Russian phone operator MegaFon in 2021, the company published a statement on their website claiming that Willis had given his stamp of approval for his digital double. According to attributed quotes from Willis, he lauded the “precision with which my character turned out” and proclaimed that playing the role was a “very new and interesting experience.”
Following the news that Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia earlier this year, Willis’ family made the announcement that he would be retiring from acting. The condition impairs cognitive abilities, which can lead to difficulties with speech and an impaired capacity to understand what other people are saying.
Whilst the news was understandably devastating to admirers of Willis’ work all over the world, his legacy is something to be admired. His mark on Hollywood is far from humble; the Emmy award-winning actor has an estimated 100+ movies in his back catalog, a perfected model of the antihero, and a reel of memorable leading roles in numerous globally-acclaimed cult classics.
His roles in the action classic Die Hard (1988), the cult classic Pulp Fiction (1994), the horror film The Sixth Sense (1999), and the drama Unbreakable (2000) are among the most notable of his career to this point. A true celebration of Willis’s impact on film was set in stone when the actor was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2006. Many of Willis’s performances have been met with a symphony of audience approval and box office glory.
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