'Vanderpump Rules' star Lala Kent says 'Hard Kill' costar Bruce Willis fired a gun twice on the wrong cue during filming

The incident was disputed by the film's armorer and a producer in a LA Times report about Bruce Willis' recent aphasia diagnosis.

• Lala Kent said that Bruce Willis shot a gun twice on the wrong cue while filming "Hard Kill."
• The incident was disputed by the film's armorer. A producer also denied Willis fired a gun early.
• Willis' family said Wednesday the actor is "stepping back" from acting amid "health issues," including aphasia. 

"Vanderpump Rules" star Lala Kent said that Bruce Willis fired a gun twice on the wrong cue while filming a scene together for "Hard Kill." 

Kent's comments appeared in a new Los Angeles Times report after the Willis family announced on Wednesday that he was "stepping away" from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia and experiencing "health issues."

In a feature about Willis' on-set condition in recent years, Kent said that Willis, who played her father in the 2020 film, failed to deliver a line that was meant to be her cue to duck during a rescue scene in which he shoots one of the film's villains. But, according to Kent, Willis fired the gun before he gave his line and she was unable to duck.

"Because my back was to him, I wasn't aware of what was happening behind me," Kent told the LA Times. "But the first time, it was like, 'No big deal, let's reset."

However, Kent said that Willis did the same thing during the second take. She later said that she asked the film's director Matt Eskandari to remind Willis to deliver the line before he fired the weapon.

Although an anonymous crew member recalled an incident in which Willis had fired "the gun on the wrong line," according to the LA Times, the same crew member added that production "always made sure no one was in the line of fire" when the actor was handling guns. Another anonymous crew member told the LA Times that he remembered Kent being shaken on the day of the shoot.

However, others on set dispute Kent's account.

The film's armorer denied to the LA Times that the incident happened. Randall Emmett, Kent's former fiancé and the cofounder of production company Emmett/Furla Oasis, which produced "Hard Kill," also disputed that Willis fired a gun prematurely on set. 

"I fully support Bruce and his family during this challenging time and admire him for his courage in battling this difficult medical condition," Emmett told the newspaper in a statement. "Bruce will always be a part of our family."

Representatives for Willis did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

Willis' family announced Wednesday that he's 'stepping away' from acting following an aphasia diagnosis

In a Wednesday Instagram post announcing Willis' move away from acting, his daughter Rumer Willis said that the actor had been "experiencing some health issues" and shared his aphasia diagnosis, saying that it was "impacting his cognitive abilities."

"This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him," the post reads.

"As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that," it continued.

The condition, according to the Mayo Clinic, causes loss of speech and can make writing and understanding language difficult, and typically follows a stroke or other brain injury. It's unclear what led to Willis' aphasia. As Insider previously reported, the condition typically does not reflect cognitive deficits.