Demi Moore shares update on Bruce Willis, talks new show 'Feud'

Moore plays Ann Woodward in "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans."

January 31, 2024, 10:08 AM

Demi Moore stopped by "Good Morning America" on Wednesday to discuss her new show "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" and gave fans an update on how her ex-husband Bruce Willis is doing these days.

Speaking about Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia last year, Moore told "GMA," "I think, given the givens, he's doing very well."

"What I'll say is what I say to my children, which is it's important to just meet them where they're at and not hold onto what isn't," she continued, "because there's great beauty and sweetness and loving and joy out of that."

PHOTO: In this July 14, 2018 file photo, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore attend the after party for the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at NeueHouse in Los Angeles.
In this July 14, 2018 file photo, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore attend the after party for the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at NeueHouse in Los Angeles.
Phil Faraone/VMN18/Getty Images For Comedy Central, FILE

Moore shares three daughters -- Rumer, Scout and Tallulah -- with Willis, to whom she was married from 1987 to 2000.

The "Ghost" actress also dished about playing Ann Woodward in "Feud" season 2, saying the real-life woman was "complicated" and lived "a very tragic life."

Woodward, a radio actress and socialite, gained the nickname "Bang Bang" from author Truman Capote after shooting and killing her husband, banking heir William Woodward Jr., at their home in 1955, alleging she thought he was an intruder. A grand jury later exonerated her, believing her account that the shooting was an accident, and she did not face indictment over the matter.

PHOTO: Demi Moore appears as Ann Woodward on FX's "FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans."
Demi Moore appears as Ann Woodward on FX's "FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans."
Pari Dukovic/FX

Woodward died by suicide in October 1975, around the same time excerpts from Capote's then-novel-in-progress "Answered Prayers" -- which many saw as recounting aspects of the lives of Capote's high-society female friends -- were published in Esquire in 1975. One of the characters in Capote's book was named "Ann Hopkins," a woman who shoots and kills her husband, which caused rampant gossip and speculation at the time.

"I think there's great responsibility when you are stepping in to play a real person," Moore told "GMA" on Wednesday. "It was important to me to kind of honor the truth as much as possible."

"Ann lived a life that was a lot of rejection. The family rejected her that she married into," she continued. "No matter how good, she never lived up to anybody's standards. She just never fit that social stratosphere."

Moore also praised Tom Hollander for bringing Capote to life, saying he "had probably the biggest job" on the series and saying he "so embodied the essence of Truman."

"I think his performance is a revelation, and he was such a joy," she added. "Most of my scenes were with Tom, and when we finally had a scene that was less contentious we were like, 'Oh, it's so nice. We're not being mean to each other.'"

The "St. Elmo's Fire" actress also gushed about her tiny canine companion, Pilaf, calling her "the greatest gift that I have ever been given."

"She's like my little extra heart," she raved. "She's just magical. She has something magical about her."