Few people pull off the sarcastic, jaded hero like Willis, and this was our first taste of that personality from him. Joel Silver’s overuse of explosions might make Michael Bay blush, but we all know that audiences love a good action movie. It was also our introduction to Alan Rickman, who until that point had only worked on stage. All of these factors made “Die Hard” a smash hit that forever redefined the action hero.
Before the Nakatomi Plaza hostage situation, action stars tensed up with steroid-assisted muscles as they walked toward the brink of extinction with no regard for their own personal safety. Think of Arnold in “Predator” or Stallone in “Rambo.” If you ever need to save, that’s the kind of person you want to see around the corner. Not the guy known for dancing around a porch, singing to a dog how much he loves wine coolers.
Netflix revealed that many famous stars were offered the role of McClane: Clint Eastwood, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Richard Gere, the list goes on and on. Co-writer Steven E. de Souza said that everyone turned down the role because they thought the character was “a coward… [because all he] is to try to hide and seek help.β What kind of hero is that?
One related.
John McClane was very different from the gigantic heroes audiences had grown accustomed to. He was just a regular guy trying to reconcile with his wife who got involved in a hostage situation. He bleeds, loses his temper, freaks out, even falls for the villain. He is not invincible or above asking for help.
Personally, I’d still rather have Schwarzenegger or Stallone come to my rescue, but it would probably be fun to snipe bad guys with Willis while we both slink away. The wise, know-it-all personality is what audiences loved about “Die Hard” and John McClane, and is why the character and the franchise became so successful.
“Die Hard” changed a couple of things for Bruce Willis. He became an accepted and celebrated action star and went from embarrassing Seagrams commercials to being the highest paid actor in Hollywood, but the sequels weren’t all that good. The film also left Willis nearly deaf in his left ear.
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