Only Bruce Willis has the rights to Bruce Willis’s face, it transpires. It was widely reported last week that the star had sold the rights to his face to a Russian deepfake company called Deepcake – allowing the company to create a “digital twin” for the actor, who retired in March following his diagnosis of aphasia, a condition affecting a person’s speech.
However, the BBC this weekend reports a spokesperson for Willis denying that he has any kind of partnership or agreement with the company.
And Deepcake confirmed this to the BBC, saying: “The wording about rights is wrong… Bruce couldn’t sell anyone any rights, they are his by default.” Deepfake companies use artificial intelligence to create realistic simulations of famous figures.
A deepfake of Willis appeared in an advert for a Russian telecoms company last year. Deepcake claims to have worked with the actor on the AI for the ad and used a glowing recommendation by him on their website, but Willis’s people did not confirm this to the BBC.
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