Bruce Willis' Emotional Final Meeting with Die Hard Costar Before Aphasia Diagnosis, Praised for Career Boost

 De'voreaux White – who played Bruce Willis' happy go lucky limousine driver Argyle in Die Hard – has shared his heartwarming last meeting with his former costar before he was diagnosed with aphasia.

The 58-year-old actor starred alongside Bruce, who famously portrayed the hero cop John McClane, in the acclaimed 1988 cult Christmas classic.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, De'voreaux recalled his last meeting with Bruce in 2020 when they filmed a commercial for Advance Auto Parts' DieHard car batteries, revealing that they hugged and laughed together just like old times.

Their reunion came two years before Bruce's family announced that he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder of the language processing and expressing centers of the brain.

 Recounting their long-awaited reunion, De'voreaux said: 'So, I'm standing on the set and I'm talking to like wardrobe and this person taps me and he goes "Argyle?" and I turned around, and it was Bruce.

'And I said, "Where the f*ck have you been? I could have been dead by now!"

'We both looked at each other. And then he just put his hand over his mouth, and he bit down.

'Oh, I just started laughing. And we hugged and everything. And that's what occurred. The experience was awesome. Oh, it was awesome.'

While De'voreaux and Bruce haven't really kept in touch, De'voreaux revealed that he would 'check in' on the star every now and again, who would in turn have his people confirm everything was OK.

'I have so much compassion and respect for that man, it is just monumental,' he professed.

'Oh, he helped me. You know, become an actor. He helped. He had a pivotal part in what my experiences have become.

'My heart is with him, you know?'



When asked what he would tell Bruce if he could get a message directly to him, De'voreaux said: 'I would say, not only are you a man of integrity, you are a man that has carried depth and weight in my life, and I am so very appreciative to you.

'I'm honored to have had the pleasure of meeting you and working with you and having a relationship with you on so many levels. And now, I'm crying.'

Bruce is currently being cared for by his wife Emma Heming, 48, with whom he shares his two youngest daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine.

He also has three adult daughters - Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29 - with his ex-wife Demi Moore, 61, who has stayed famously friendly with both him and Emma.

During filming, De'voreaux was given creative license to adlib his scenes with Bruce and was told by director John McTiernan to 'have fun' with the character of Argyle.



'I threw myself into the character because I was newly learning about the objectives of being an actor and learning about chemistry and all that.

'Bruce and I would just bounce off each other. Totally. He is funny. He's a character because when he works, he's serious. He takes his work very seriously.'

Die Hard grossed an impressive $140million at the box office following its release in July 1988.

The film received four Academy Award nominations and pushed Bruce to leading-man status.

Reflecting on Die Hard's stratospheric legacy, De'voreaux admitted he had no idea how big the film would become at the time of shooting.

'I was just doing a job, and it was to catapult Bruce because he wanted to break out and do film,' he said.



'We had no idea that it was going to be that big.'

In February of this year, Bruce's family announced that he had been diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) - an uncommon form of dementia that causes a deterioration in behaviour, personality and language.

In a joint statement, they said: 'Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis...

'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.'