Q&A with Author Sean O'Connell: "Bruce Willis: Celebrating the Cinematic Legacy of an Unbreakable Hollywood Icon"

  
 

On a nondescript Wednesday morning in the waning days of March 2023, one of the biggest movie stars on the planet called it quits. No press conference had been organized, the Hollywood trades received no advance notice, and there was a conspicuous lack of the fanfare that usually accompanies such bombshell announcements. Instead, the news that Bruce Willis was retiring from acting came in a simple statement on his ex-wife Demi Moore’s Instagram page—along with the tragic news that Willis was suffering from aphasia, a cognitive disorder that subsequently worsened to become frontotemporal dementia. Join us as we discuss Bruce's life, work, and future with author Sean O'Connell. We will also be discussing the essential question - is "Die Hard" a Christmas movie or not? Join us to weigh in!

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

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About the book:

As we know, this is a sad conclusion to the storied career of a man who had at one point been the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. That career is the subject of Sean O’Connell’s definitive survey of Bruce Willis the actor, the cultural icon, and the man. Here, O’Connell compiles exclusive, original interviews with directors who have worked with Willis, as well as film critics and journalists who have analyzed his career, into a celebratory compendium. It also features the author’s analysis of Willis’s films, his career arc, and the industry that made him a star. And it includes capsule reviews of every Bruce Willis film, making this a complete handbook to a true American original.

 

About the author:

Sean O’Connell is the author of two books with Applause: Release the Snyder Cut (2021), which documents the three-year fight by DC Comics fans to get Zack Snyder’s lost cut of Justice League released, and With Great Power, which traces Spider-Man’s complete journey through Hollywood, culminating with the record-setting blockbuster film Spider-Man: No Way Home. O’Connell also servesas the Managing Director of CinemaBlend, a globally recognized entertainment news website. He has been covering the film industry since 1999, both in print and online, with bylines in outlets such as USA Today, The Washington Post, and Fandango. He lives in Charlotte, NC. 

 
  

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and in partnership with a multitude of MA Libraries.