Some of the biggest Hollywood legends in the action movie genre must be quite upset these days. They declined an offer to star in Die Hard, which permanently changed an entire genre. In the end, Bruce Willis was the lucky one who made his big career jump through the lead role.
What is Die Hard about?
- The first installment of the Die Hard series was released in 1988 and is an adaptation of the book Nothing Lasts Forever
- Bruce Willis received the lead role and had to fight against an antagonist played by Alan Rickman
- In the film, New York police officer John McClane must fight his way through a skyscraper full of terrorists
- The focus of subsequent action films shifted thanks to Die Hard from “bodybuilders” to men with everyday physiques in lead roles
- Moreover, villains became more charming and competent in subsequent action films thanks to Die Hard
There are several films in the Die Hard series. The last installment was released in 2013 with Die Hard – A Good Day to Die Hard. But by now, lead actor Bruce Willis has retired, which means there will likely be no new installment in the series for some time.
Die Hard has even made it into some video games. In GTA Online, for example, there was an event where a weapon from the movie was given as a reward. The movie has thus left its mark not only in cinemas.
The film achieves a recommendation of a proud 94 % on Rotten Tomatoes, and on IMDb, it is rated 8.2 out of 10 possible points.
If you want to see the film for yourself, you should check out the following trailer:
All actors declined the lead role
Originally, the film was supposed to be cast with a muscular actor in the lead role. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has acted in many other action films, was one of the first to decline the role.
Many other actors were asked before Bruce Willis if they wanted to take on the role of the New York police officer. But all actors declined the role.
The role was offered to the following Hollywood actors (via imdb.com):
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Sylvester Stallone
- Burt Reynolds
- Harrison Ford
- Mel Gibson
- Richard Gere
- Clint Eastwood
- Robert De Niro
- Charles Bronson
- Don Johnson
- Richard Dean Anderson
- Michael Madsen
There were many other actors that the production team considered for the role of John McClane. But in the end, Bruce Willis was offered the role, which he graciously accepted.
Why did the actors decline? Clint Eastwood returned the script saying he did not understand the humor. Presumably, the other actors were also not convinced by the script, which is why no one wanted to participate in the film.
Moreover, in the action films of the 1980s, it was common for the protagonists to be portrayed by muscular actors. McClane may have been seen as too soft for many.
But that was Bruce Willis’s great luck, as he was still an unknown actor at the time. He signed a contract for 5 million dollars and over time became one of the highest-paid actors in action films.
Schwarzenegger must be upset that he declined the role. But there is another film that he regrets even more turning down:
