Willis Puts Bite In Spike's Bark

America's most beloved babies are making their biggest growth spurt yet in their third feature film, "Rugrats Go Wild."

It brings together for the first time the colorful characters from two of Nickelodeon's Emmy-winning TV series, "Rugrats" and the Humanitas Award-winning show, "The Wild Thornberrys."

Audiences get to hear the first words ever spoken by the Rugrats' beloved dog Spike -- and they're voiced by Bruce Willis who says, because of his daughters, he was familiar with all the characters.

He describes Spike as, "a happy-go-lucky dog. Gets a big kick out of life. Heroic. He's a heroic dog. Shuns fame."

In the story, Spike isn't having any fun at all. His sniffer is on the blink and his troublesome Rugrats are wandering about the rainforest all alone. So Spike realizes the seriousness of missing babies, and decides to speak out for the first time.

And, Willis notes, his kids really liked the film. "Got a lot of notes from them on it. Three thumbs up in my house," he says.

Willis also performs on the new soundtrack album for the film along with Aerosmith, American Hi-Fi, Chrissie Hynde and Flashlight Brown.

Willis and Hynde (the founding member, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Pretenders) sing a duet as Spike, the dog, and Siri, the spotted leopard. About that, Willis says, "Big-time really cool. She's got a really sexy voice. Great singer."

A lot of people who go to clubs and who are fans of blues know that Willis has a band, "The Accelerators." Going back in memory lane, he tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm for his first paid job playing the harmonica at 14, he "might have got $16. Big money." And he had a couple of albums and a top 10 hit, "Bruce Willis: The Return of Bruno," which went platinum, and his remake of the single "Respect Yourself," which was No. 5 on the charts. He also recorded, "If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger."

He says, "That was a long time ago. That was a point in my career where I was saying yes to everything. It was on Motown. The Motown label." Now music is just something he does for fun.

Willis says, "It's the last thing I get to do really as a hobby that I don't have to attach any kind of financial compensation to it. I have a pretty good day job. I'm just going to go out and just have some fun, blow off some steam."

And when he is not working or having fun he is supporting the foster care program. He says, "I found out how much in need the foster care program was in getting the information out about what kind of shape it's in right now. The foster care program right now is pretty much in the late '40s and early '50s. Fathers have it still hand written. It's not computerized. States don't talk to each other. It needs some help. It was a way for me to not only serve my country and give back a little bit, but to also help the kids who are in foster care programs."

On a personal level, it is well known that he lives across the street from his ex-wife and friend Demi Moore who has been seen on the tabloids with reports of her romance with Ashton Kutcher who is 15 years her junior.

When asked how he dealt with these reports as a family, Willis says, "We just don't let it in the house. If you don't pay any attention to it, if you don't read them, it's not painful. It's just a job that someone has to do. People do it. I'm just glad that I don't have that job."

Career wise next for Willis is "The Whole Ten Yards," which he says is "very funny. Turned out really well." And "Die Hard 4: Die Hardest;" Willis notes, "Just had a meeting with Fox last week about it. They're excited about it. I'm excited about it. I think they have a new take on the idea. It's just amazing that there are still a lot of people out there who want to see it happen."

And to end his interview, he said to the The Early Show co-anchor, "I'm a big fan of yours, Hannah. You really do a great job on TV. You do a great job."

About Bruce Willis

• Born Walter Bruce Willis in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, on March 19, 1955
• In 1984, had his first breakthrough stage role, replacing Ed Harris in the Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's "Fool for Love."
• The following year, his role of Eddie in "Fool for love," earned him an audition for debut of the "Moonlighting" (1985-1989) TV series, co-starring Cybill Shepherd; won Emmy Award in 1987.
• In 1995, he reprised his signature role of John McClane in the sequel "Die Hard With a Vengeance".
• In 1998 he returned to heroic mode in "Mercury Rising" and "Armageddon"; Portrayed U.S. Gen. William Devereaux in Edward Zwick's "The Siege".
• Then in 1999, he headlined the hit supernatural thriller "The Sixth Sense", directed by M. Night Shymalan.
• In 2000, the award-winning Willis played a hit man on the lam in the comedy "The Whole Nine Yards.
• In 2001, he co-starred with Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett in the comedy "Bandits," and he was executive producer (with Rifkin) and star of the Showtime adaptation of Sam Shepard's play "True West."
• In 2002, he starred alongside Colin Farrell in "Hart's War." He was executive producer of "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course"; he launched a U.S. club tour with his new musical group The Accelerators.
• In 2003, he had lead in the action thriller "Tears of the Sun" which co-starred Cole Hauser and Monica Bellucci.
• He co-stars in the sequel "The Whole Ten Yards" to be released in October.