Speed Dial with Emma Heming Willis

Nat: How did he propose?

Emma: It wasn’t an official proposal. He started talking about it a couple of months later, then we started talking about it. It was one of those things where you just know. It just felt right.

Nat: I like that. I like that you were adult and mature and decided on it together.

Emma: [Laughs] I think it’s cause we’re old!

Nat: That’s why I like it cause I’m old too! When were you married?

Emma: We started dating the end of December [2007] and were married the next year, March 21st [2009], so a little over a year later.

Nat: Where did you get married?

Emma: Turks & Caicos. He has a house there.

Nat: Where do you call home?

Emma: New York. We were living in Los Angeles for awhile because Bruce’s girls were younger and we wanted to see them through high school. Tallulah graduated and went to college, Scout moved to the East Coast and Rumer was working and on her own. We moved back east in August of last year. We have a place in the city but our main residence is upstate New York in Bedford.

Nat: Talk to me about becoming a stepmother. What was the biggest challenge?

Emma: Not wanting to overstep my boundaries. At the time when Bruce and I got married, Demi and Ashton were together and Ashton played a huge part in the girls’ lives. So they had a lot of parentals in their lives and I didn’t feel the need to assert myself in that way. I luckily came into a family that was very loving. The girls were so open to their dad being in a relationship. They were so happy to see him happy that they really welcomed me. There wasn’t any friction. All I wanted is that when they were in my care, they trusted me and if there was anything they wanted to talk to me about, I was always there to listen. I did not want to hear some of the things they told me! Cause I was then like, “What am I supposed to do with this information?” But it was about finding my way and not trying to act like their stepmom.

Nat: And now you have two of your own. Five girls!

Emma: Yeah, now it’s about trying to balance being there for their three girls and our two young ones. It works. They get it. They’re older now, they don’t need to be babied.

Nat: Are they close?

Emma: They are but they’re all in their 20’s now, they’re traveling so their focus isn’t on little ones. But, when they’re around, Mabel has a ball! She gets super excited when they walk through the door. And they call them. They’ll be great big sisters for them when they get older.

Nat: Bruce and Demi were the poster people for blended families.

Emma: The way they set it up is to always put the kids first and it’s somehow magically worked. You have to tip your hat off to them because they went above and beyond to make sure the girls were okay. Bruce bought a house across the street from them in Sun Valley [Idaho] so he could always be close by. Demi knew the importance of having Bruce around and Bruce wanted to be around. They put the girls needs before their own.

Nat: As it should be.

Emma: It really should be and I know it’s probably difficult for a lot of others to do that but they somehow did it and did not bring whatever differences they had into it.

Nat: Beyond becoming a stepmom overnight, there was an ex-wife very much in the picture that you had to contend with.

Emma: I thought it would be awkward going into the situation but it wasn’t. It was easy. They all welcomed me with open arms. I was one of the lucky ones. I don’t hear that story that often.

Nat: You’re all much more evolved. It’s something to be proud of. Think of all the drama you avoided!

Emma: Oh, yeah!

 (Tallulah Willis styling her stepmom.)

Nat: Speaking of drama, there were headlines recently about Tallulah. How’s she doing?

Emma: She has six months sobriety under her belt. She’s doing great. She’s a solid kid. She’s still very young and finding her way in the world. But I have high hopes for Tallulah. We’re super proud of her.

Nat: Is Bruce currently working on anything?

Emma: He took a big paternity leave. He’s getting back to work in February on a movie called Awake. He’s excited about it. So we’re going to Ohio!

Nat: It must be challenging to take two kids on the road.

Emma: Yes. [Laughs] When Mabel was 4 weeks old, we went to Budapest for three months for Die Hard. Then we went to London for another three months for Red. We travelled a lot, which wasn’t so bad cause it was just one. With two kids, it’ll be a little tricky. I haven’t done it yet but I’ll let you know how it goes!

Nat: Yes, report back! Now, let’s have some Speed Dial fun…