Bruce Willis, Crimson Tide fan? Actor spotted in Hoover wearing Alabama gear

Bruce Willis, right, stopped to chat with Birmingham's David Graves on Oct. 13, 2021, at Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover, Alabama. Graves, a pharmaceutical salesman, said he was at Ross Bridge for a work meeting when he spotted the "Die Hard" star.
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Bruce Willis was spotted in Alabama this week -- and it seems he’s a Crimson Tide fan.

Willis, 66, stopped to chat and take a photo with David Graves on Wednesday at Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover. The “Die Hard” actor was wearing a shirt and cap that sported the University of Alabama logo -- the letter “A” in distinctive script -- and he appeared to be dressed for a golf game.

It’s unclear what Willis was doing in Alabama, aside from hitting the links. However, Graves, a pharmaceutical salesman from Birmingham, reports that his encounter with the action star was pleasant and cordial.

“I had a one-day work meeting out at Ross Bridge,” Graves told AL.com. “A group of us were seated for lunch and Bruce came in with a few other guys. As he walked by, we made eye contact and I simply said ‘Hey Bruce,’ like talking to a friend. Spoke for a minute. Didn’t ask why he was here or what he was doing. We grabbed a pic and I told him I would wait to post at the end of the day so it wouldn’t draw him attention. He said thanks.”

Graves said playing it cool with Willis turned out to be the right decision -- no fawning over the actor or raising a ruckus.

“I think the thing was this: In meeting people like that, I never go, ‘Hey, I’m a huge fan and I love all your movies and I’ve seen them.’ I just simply said, ‘Hey, Bruce,’ and that was it,” Graves said. “He asked how the day was going, and I said, ‘Great, how about yourself? Good day, gorgeous weather.’ Didn’t say anything about his career, and maybe that’s why he stopped to talk. It’s always interesting that way, when you don’t come across as a big fan, just kind of treat them normal.”

Ryan Kelly, an Alabama native who lives in Atlanta, also had a close encounter with Willis in Hoover.

“My wife, some friends, and I got a picture with him Tuesday night at Ross Bridge,” Kelly said via Facebook. “Cool guy. I told him I’m getting him an Auburn shirt.”

Willis filmed a thriller, “Die Like Lovers,” in the Birmingham area in June, and was spotted by several fans in Bessemer. Some folks speculated that Willis might be back in town to shoot more scenes for that movie, but Jesse Atlas, the director and co-writer of “Die Like Lovers,” told AL.com “no current filming” was underway. “Die Like Lovers” is set for release in spring 2022, Atlas said.

RELATED: Bruce Willis is filming a movie thriller in Alabama

Willis also starred in “Extraction,” “Vice” and “The Prince,” action movies that filmed in Mobile in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. According to a trivia note on IMDB, the actor filmed all of his scenes for “Extraction” in a single day.

Willis has about a dozen films in the pipeline, according to IMDB. Most of them are in post-production and set to debut later this year or in 2022. The list includes “Vendetta,” “Paradise City,” “Corrective Measures” and “A Day to Die.”

Willis received international fame for his starring role in the “Die Hard” film series, but his long list of credits includes “Pulp Fiction,” “12 Monkeys,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Sin City,” “The Fifth Element,” “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Unbreakable,” “Glass” and more.

On television, Willis is best known for his breakthrough role on “Moonlighting” (1985-1989). Playing a wisecracking private detective opposite Cybill Shepherd, he won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1987. “Moonlighting” set the stage for his film career, where Willis earned acclaim as a tough-skinned action hero.

Willis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

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