When she first set foot on a movie set as a child, Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, knew she wanted to be part of the “family business” even though she didn’t fit the image of a Hollywood celebrity.
The young actress, who turned 20 recently, is a self-proclaimed dork and computer nerd — traits that helped her develop her character in her first adult role in The House Bunny, which debuts in theatres soon.
Not fitting in
“I had braces and glasses and a big curly ‘fro’,” Willis recently said about her appearance as a kid in Los Angeles. “I wasn’t necessarily too active in getting into the social crowd, so I definitely understand not fitting in.”
In The House Bunny, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz of Legally Blonde fame, Willis plays a sorority sister, Joanne, an introvert with very low self-esteem.
“Joanne has always hidden behind her brace,” Willis said. “Even though she doesn’t need it anymore, it’s kept her from having to show the world her true self.”
This is not Willis’s debut movie but it does mark her first high-profile mature role.
Prior to this, Willis had primarily been a child actor with small roles in a few of her parents’ movies, including Hostage and The Whole Nine Yards, which starred her father, and Striptease, starring her mum.
Even when she didn’t work on her parents’ movies, Willis said she hung around the sets because she liked the atmosphere and people but added that she always felt more like an “accessory” than a member.
Willis’s name is expected to attract audiences to House Bunny, which has raised the stakes for the young actress.
“It has been a very different experience to be on my own,” Willis said.
There is more to come for young Willis, though. She appears in the upcoming comedy Wild Cherry, and Slightly Single in LA.
Beautiful girl
It has not gone unnoticed in Hollywood that her appearance has changed to suit her burgeoning career.
In May, Willis made it to People magazine’s list of the 100 most beautiful celebrities.
“After being compared to Jay Leno for so long, you don’t think of yourself that way,” she told Page Six magazine earlier this month.
Leno is the US talk-show host who is often chided about the size of his chin.
