Rumer Willis Talks Christmas Shopping for Her Famous Fam: My Mom Is 'Definitely Hard to Buy For'
Rumer on the RetailMeNot bus in NYC on Nov. 18. The company announced its Save It Forward campaign to encourage random acts of kindness this holiday season. (Photo: RetailMeNot)
When you’re feeling overwhelmed with your holiday shopping list, think of Rumer Willis, who has to buy for parents Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
We caught up with the 27-year-old actress/singer/dancing queen on Wednesday aboard RetailMeNot’s double-decker bus in Manhattan to talk holiday shopping. And we weren’t ashamed to admit to Rue, who is fresh off her run in Broadway’s Chicago, that we’d find shopping for Moore — who has an entire warehouse just to house her priceless vintage clothing collection — daunting.
“Oh man, it is,” Rumer agrees. “She’s definitely hard to buy for — and she’ll say that she’s not — but I love finding really cool gifts for her. My sisters and my mom, actually, we’re all huge fans of vintage clothing,” so that is her go-to come Christmastime. She’ll search stores as well as online sites “to find new and unique gifts.”
Does she ever nick anything from her mom’s closet? “[There are] definitely some cashmere sweaters that my sister and I have all snaked,” the Dancing With the Stars Season 20 winner admitted. “Unfortunately, we don’t wear the same size shoes, which is a bummer for me. But we definitely raid her closet a bit.”
Rue, second from left, with her family — stepmom Emma Heming Willis, left, Bruce Willis, Tallulah Willis, Demi Moore, and Scout Willis — who supported her during a recent run in Broadway’s Chicago. (Photo: FilmMagic)
Rumer’s sisters, Scout and Tallulah, are no easier to shop for as they both have unique senses of style. She’ll scour galleries (“I like finding cool art pieces”), but mod clothes tend to win out there too.
“My sister Scout just started a clothing line called Scout’s General. For it, she takes vintage dresses … and creates her own [look] from that. So sometimes I’ll find a vintage piece, even if it’s ripping, and say, ‘Here you go. I know you’ll do amazing things with this.’”
Rumer’s dear old dad sounds like the easiest one to check off her list. “He’s always been a big fan of cashmere socks — classic ones [nothing funky] — so I’m always on the hunt for them for him.”
Willis was recently photographed wearing 1940s era vintage — on the set of her next movie, Hello Again. It’s directed by Tom Gustafson and is based on the off-Broadway musical. She’ll be singing and dancing in it.
Rue filming Hello Again in New York City. (Photo: PacificCoastNews.com)
“It’s a really beautiful movie, and it has an incredible cast,” says the actress, who is working alongside Audra McDonald and Jenna Ushkowitz. “It’s an amazing story, but also the way that Tom is doing it. It’s just going to be a really cool version of this musical.”
She continues, “I’ve never been able to do a period film before, so I’m really excited to show a different side of myself.”
And keeping busying with work is a good distraction … from worrying about finding those elusive perfect holiday gifts.