'Misery' Star Bruce Willis Cops to Stage Jitters – and Reveals the Broadway Advice Daughter Rumer Gave Him

The Die Hard alum costars with Laurie Metcalf in Misery on Broadway, through Feb. 14

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Photo: Dylan Coulter

Even with his 35-plus years in showbiz, Bruce Willis admits he’s still prone to pre-performance nerves.

The actor, who stars alongside Roseanne alum Laurie Metcalf in Misery on Broadway, opens up about the jitters he gets before going onstage eight times a week.

“When I was a kid, I had a stutter, and it sometimes trips me up,” says Willis, 60. “And I don’t eat during the day because it’s hard to do a play on a full stomach for me. So I’ve lost a little weight.”

Based on the Stephen King novel – which was also adapted for screen, with Kathy Bates and James Caan starring in the 1990 film – Misery finds author Paul Sheldon (Willis) held captive by an unhinged fan (Metcalf) after an accident. (It plays through Feb. 14; tickets available here.)

For more on Bruce Willis, Laurie Metcalf and Misery, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

And while Willis has some stage experience, having appeared off-Broadway early in his acting career, the thriller marks his Broadway debut. But daughter Rumer, 27 – who just starred in Chicago – gave him some tips on taking the Great White Way.

“She said to ‘go home and go to bed.’ You have to look after your voice,” says Willis, add of his daughter’s turn as Roxie Hart. “I was very proud of her.”

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