Willis Reportedly Suggested They Work On A Project Together

After Live Free or Die Hard debuted in theaters in June 2007, Smith soon reached out to Willis to catch up. Smith remembered discussing the success of their movie premiere, saying it might be the highest-grossing Die Hard movie.

However, Smith wasn't prepared for the rest of the conversation. In the 2008 documentary Kevin Smith: Sold Out - A Threevening with Kevin Smith, he recalled Willis saying, "Let [me] ask you something - you're from Jersey, I'm from Jersey. You write, direct; I act. We should do something together." 

Smith was floored at the idea of being able to work with his hero and leaped at the opportunity. 

Smith's Idolization Of Willis Skewed His Focus As A Director

As they began producing the film, it became clear there was a major difference between Willis and Smith's relationship on-set as co-stars versus as an actor and director, respectively. In an interview with CinemaBlend, Smith shared his approach to working with Willis:

I wasn't the 38-year-old Kevin Smith who had directed a bunch of movies; I was the 12-year-old who would lay on my parents' couch and watch David Addison on Moonlighting on Tuesday.

Willis had experience dealing with starstruck filmmakers and was blunt with his words. According to Smith:

Bruce would be like, snap out of it, you're a grown-up, I'm not David Addison. We were able to work on [Cop Out] as collaborators, rather than me like, "Can you do this because I loved it when you did it on Moonlighting."

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Willis Never Wavered On How He Wanted To Be Portrayed On-Screen

Over the years, Smith has built relationships with actors whom he has frequently collaborated with over the years. His relatively laid-back directorial style supposedly includes encouraging actors to do extreme things to see if they would go along with them. He shared that he would get Ben Affleck to do something outrageous - and Affleck would reportedly comply.

Willis was not the same type of actor as Affleck, however. Smith explained:

On the first day of shooting, I started to mess with Bruce, trying to get him to do something crazy, and [he pretended to take a shot at my head]. His point was pretty obvious. He's done this part so many times that he knows what works and what doesn't. He's the caretaker of the Bruce Willis persona. He's been a star for 25 years while most of his peers have fallen by the wayside, so he knows what works for his image.

Willis Was Purportedly Uncooperative While Some Say Smith Was Often Too High

Smith claimed Willis intentionally worked against him while filming. He shared one story of an incident when Willis purposefully missed his mark several times, eventually walking over to the catering table instead. Smith explained the experience was "like somebody who's literally working against the production just sitting there to be like, 'How can I [mess] with it today?'"

Smith reportedly wasn't easy to work with, either. A representative associated with Cop Out complained of Smith's weed-induced aloofness: "He [uses] way too much pot... He sat behind his monitor. He didn't interact with the actors. The actors felt they were on their own."

Smith dismissed this rep's allegation, stating:

If [their claim is valid], how did I manage to not only bring the film in on schedule but under budget? If I was supposedly so stoned, how could I shoot all day THEN edit the film myself all night?

Willis Supposedly Failed At Trying To Ad-Lib With Tracy Morgan

The on-set conflicts reportedly continued as Smith tried to encourage more ad-libbing from his stars. Willis's interactions with co-star Tracy Morgan also became an issue, as the two had different comedic styles. While Morgan thrived at improvised dialogue, Willis occasionally couldn't keep up with him.

Smith explained, "[Willis] seemed shell-shocked by how fast Tracy could make up dialogue and be funny... Tracy was so fun, and Bruce was like, 'What is he talking about?'"

The action star's few attempts at matching Morgan's comedic talents only resulted in outdated jokes and references, according to Smith:

He hasn't done comedy in a bit... He always said he didn't trust himself with comedy even though he came from comedy in Moonlighting. But so much of what he is as a movie star is predicated on John McClane (from Die Hard) and not being a comedic actor like he used to be back in the day.

After A Confrontation With Willis, Smith Punched Through A Wall Three Times

In one particular interaction with Willis, Smith reportedly became so agitated that he later lost his temper. Recalling the experience on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2012, Smith said they had completed a take, but Willis called Smith over to state that they weren't done yet.

Smith made an off-hand comment saying, "Okay, everybody, hold on one second. I'm going to go talk to the director." 

His remark triggered Willis, who said, "What did you say?" Willis asked Smith to clear the set, and once they were alone, the action star supposedly asked, "Do you want to take a swing at me?" 

Afterward, Smith left for his trailer and, in his anger, used his fist to hit his bathroom wall, creating three holes.

Willis Didn't Show Up For The Wrap Party, And Smith Had Some Choice Words For Him

After pushing through months of on-set conflicts between Smith and Willis, the production finally came to a close. Willis was notably absent from the Cop Out wrap party, however, which is unusual for a lead star. Smith allegedly gave a toast at the party stating, "I want to thank everyone who worked on the film, except for Bruce Willis... who is a [real jerk]!"

A spokesperson for Willis later stated that his absence was due to a prior engagement, not bad blood:

The only reason Mr. Willis was not at the wrap party for the film is that he was in Los Angeles taking part in a press junket and press activities for his movie Surrogate.

Smith Has Talked Openly With Many Media Outlets About His Disappointing Experience

Smith maintained a low-key stance about the making of Cop Out during the film promotion. However, years later, he became more open about his time working with Willis. He shared his general disappointment about the production of Cop Out on blogs, live shows, and various podcasts.

Not only was Smith upset about Willis's behavior, but he believed the quality of the film suffered because of the action star's attitude. He explained on Marc Maron's podcast:

It was difficult. I've never been involved in a situation like that where one component is not in the box at all. It was [really] soul-crushing. I mean, a lot of people are gonna be like, "Oh, you're just trying to blame the movie on him." No, but I had no... help from this dude whatsoever.

Willis Called Smith 'A Whiner'

Despite the many times Smith has spoken about his feud with the action star, Willis has remained relatively tight-lipped about his side of the story. There are conflicting reports about how Willis feels about Smith. For example, Willis's representative claimed:

There is absolutely no rift between Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith. Bruce very much enjoyed working with Kevin Smith as well as his co-star Tracey [sic] Morgan.

However, there is an instance when Willis lashed out about Smith. In a 2013 interview with Time Out Beijing, Willis stated:

Poor Kevin. He's just a whiner, you know? We had some personal issues about how we approached work. I don't have an answer for him. I'm never going to call him out and lay him out in public. Sometimes you just don't get along.

Willis Didn't Invite Smith To His 'Comedy Central Roast'

Known for controversial guests and scathing heckling, Comedy Central Roast has become popular for the namesake network. Smith did not receive an invite to the roast, however, which adds fuel to the notion that the two have yet to resolve their differences.

Still, Smith found humor in his lack of an invitation, posting on Twitter: 

I have a hard time making fun of others (which is why I tend to turn inward and mock myself). And honestly: even though I've worked with [Willis] twice, I'm way okay with not being invited to this Roast. But it does kinda feel like a... what's the term I'm looking for here? A cop-out.

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