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BRUCE WILLIS SPRINGS INTO ACTION WITH HIS FURRY FRIENDS

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23 JUNE 2006

Thanks to hardman roles in films like Die Hard and Sin City, movie fans are used to thinking of Bruce Willis as a deadpan tough guy. There was apparently something in the air when he visited London's Leicester Square on Thursday night, though, as the unusually excited star couldn't resist breaking into a jig.

The shaven-headed actor was in town for the premiere of his latest movie, an animated adventure called Over The Hedge. And he wasn't the only one jumping for joy outside the West End screening, as some of his colourful costars were likewise showing off their fancy footwork.

TV presenter Gail Porter's little girl Honey even shared a boogie with Vern, the movie's bright yellow tortoise. The colourful character, who is voiced by American small screen funnyman Gary Shandling, isn't normally given to such energetic displays, but he apparently found some extra energy when he took to the specially prepared green carpet.

In the film Bruce plays a scheming raccoon who dupes a group of his furry friends into helping him pay off a debt. Playing a non-human character marks something of a departure for the 51-year-old, but he pulled out all the stops in an effort to research his role. "I went out and lived with a family of racoons for three months," joked the actor. "But I didn't understand them - I don't speak racoon and they kept giving me pieces of pine bark."