Making movies is a difficult task. There are long hours of filming, logistical hurdles at every turn, and it may be difficult for co-stars to be co-workers at times owing to personality issues and difficulties working in harmony. As far as Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis are concerned, this appears to have been the case on the set of the irreverent comedy Cop Out. While the actor-director has already hinted at the conflict, he recently said that he felt “true darkness” when directing the Die Hard star.

The two met on the set of Cop Out, a comedy directed by Smith and starring Willis and Tracy Morgan. Although the pair’s disdain for one other has been widely known since, Smith brings it up again in his new book.

Kevin Smith is working on his fifteenth and sixteenth feature films, with Killroy Was Here releasing as an NFT in a fascinating marketing experiment before the end of the year, and Clerks III wrapping production last month. He has only worked as a director-for-hire once, and it was the worst experience of his career.

Both Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan took pot shots at one other, with Willis’ agents saying of Smith, “He smokes way too much pot,” speaking of Smith. “He sat behind his monitor. He didn’t interact with the actors. The actors felt they were on their own.”

Kevin Smith vehemently denied the claims. “I dealt with every actor who wanted to be dealt with on that set. If I was smoking so much weed, how did I manage to not only bring the film in on schedule but under budget? If I was supposedly so stoned, how could I shoot all day THEN edit the film myself all night? Yes – what a big, fat, lazy, unenthused stoner I must be.” On podcast ‘WTF With Marc Maron,’ Smith used the phrase “soul crushing,” when it came to working with Willis, adding that the star failed to support the film. “A lot of people are gonna be like, ‘Oh, you’re just trying to blame the movie on him,’ “Smith said. “I had no f-ing help from this dude whatsoever.”

Kevin Smith has made it clear throughout the years that he is the type of filmmaker who genuinely enjoys his work. When he isn’t developing his own, he spends his time chatting about pop culture, primarily comic books, but also his favorite movies. His new book has provided many fresh insights into his career. Secret Stash: The Definitive Visual History of Kevin Smith covers practically his entire career, from Clerks in 1994 to Jay and Silent Bob Reboot in 2019. That includes sharing experiences about the highs and lows he’s experienced on some of his film sets.

According to Screen Crush, Smith says in his book Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash: The Definitive Visual History, “Cop Out could have been a great experience if it were not for the fact that I met true darkness in Bruce Willis. I love making movies and he does not, at all.”

When asked about their relationship in 2013, Willis told Time Out: “Poor Kevin. He’s just a whiner, you know? We had some personal issues about how we approached work.

“I don’t have an answer for him. I’m never going to call him out and lay him out in public. Sometimes you just don’t get along.”

Smith has described working with Willis as “soul-crushing” at various points, and slammed him at the wrap party, which he didn’t even bother to attend, toasting the cast and crew by stating, “I want to thank everyone who worked on the film, except for Bruce Willis, who is a f*cking dick.” Smith’s memories for Cop Out have clearly not lessened over time, based on his newest scathing remarks for the fallen A-lister.