Pulp Fiction Producer Stacey Sher Says Bruce Willis Was 'So Kind' to Her Late Dad on Set (Exclusive)

Sher's father, Sy Sher, was Willis' boxing coach for the popular 1994 film

Stacey Sher; Bruce Willis
Stacey Sher; Bruce Willis. Photo:

Rich Fury/Getty; Theo Wargo/Getty

Film producer Stacey Sher is singing her praise for Bruce Willis!

While attending the Pulp Fiction 30th Anniversary event at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18, Sher, 61, spoke with PEOPLE about Willis, 69, and his kindness.

"I have a specific Bruce Willis story from the movie," she said. "My late father, Sy Sher, who was not an actor, who had never acted or really been on a set except to visit me, was Bruce Willis' boxing coach."

"Bruce was so kind to him, as this man who had never done this before, but revered cinema," she continued. "[He] was why I loved movies."

As for whether she has been able to keep in touch with Willis — who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023 — during their shared careers in the entertainment industry, Sher said, "You know, from time to time. I know [his ex-wife] Demi [Moore] and the girls, and he is a wonderful person. We all wish the best for him."

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Stacey Sher attends the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of "Pulp Fiction" during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California.
Stacey Sher attends the the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of 'Pulp Fiction' on April 18, 2024.

Presley Ann/Getty

Willis starred in Pulp Fiction as Butch Coolidge, an aging boxer on the run. The film — which was released in 1994 — also stars John TravoltaUma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Samuel L. Jackson, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Walken, among others.

Sher has served as a producer on a range of films over the years, including Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Garden State, ContagionErin Brockovich and Out of Sight, to name a few.

During the opening night gala of the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival, Sher was joined by Travolta, 70, Thurman, 53, Keitel, 84, Jackson, 75, Stoltz, 62, and Arquette, 64.

Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, and one of his daughters, Tallulah Willis, were also in attendance at the event.

John Travolta, Bruce Willis Pulp Fiction - 1994
John Travolta (left) and Bruce Willis in 'Pulp Fiction'.

Miramax/Buena Vista/Kobal/Shutterstock 

Sher also told PEOPLE on April 18 that she never viewed Pulp Fiction director and writer Quentin Tarantino's visions and dedication to his craft as "risks."

"I thought of them as the continuation of his artistic exploration," continues the mother of two, who has been married to musician Kerry Brown since 2001.

"And I've always believed in his artistic exploration and backed him as the filmmaker and auteur that he is," she adds.

Further noting that Tarantino is "a person of tremendous passion and integrity," Sher says that he is also "a lover of cinema."

"We are all the richer for having a cinematic world with Quentin Tarantino having been in it," she says.

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