Ben Affleck’s career has been pretty inconsistent over the years. During one of his dry spells in Hollywood, he missed out on a major role in Bruce Willis’s Die Hard franchise. Willis’s iconic character John McClane returned to the big screen after a decade in Live Free or Die Hard. Affleck was cast in the role of McClane’s son in the initial draft of the script.
However, in subsequent script revisions, the character was rewritten as a female, introducing Mary Elizabeth Winstead as John McClane’s daughter Lucy Gennero-McClane. Losing out on this role added to the Justice League actor’s Hollywood misery at the time.
Ben Affleck Lost A Major Role In Die Hard Franchise To Mary Elizabeth Winstead
In Live Free or Die Hard, Bruce Willis’s John McClane faces off against terrorist mastermind Thomas Gabriel. The movie also introduces McClane’s daughter, Lucy, who is kidnapped by Gabriel in the film’s final sequence. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played Lucy, was a last-minute addition to the movie. The role was originally written as a male character, with Ben Affleck as the top contender for the role.
The Daredevil actor was going through a challenging time in the industry, with a string of poorly received films. Affleck was also a victim of tabloid notoriety, gaining media attention for all the wrong reasons, including his relationship with Jennifer Lopez. The Bounce actor could have used a major role in a successful franchise like Die Hard to end his dry spell.
It’s unclear whether any of the character traits originally intended for Affleck were given to Winstead. It’s assumed that Justin Long’s character replaced the Gigli actor as the second male lead in the film. Interestingly, the Batman v. Superman actor, who was only 17 years junior to Bruce Willis, had previously acted alongside The Sixth Sense actor in the 1998 film, Armageddon.
Live Free or Die Hard was a return to form for the franchise and received positive reviews. With a total gross of $388 million at the box office, the film became the highest-grosser in the series.
Ben Affleck’s Career Was In Shambles At The Time
Ben Affleck’s turning point in his career was co-writing and acting in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. The film earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay alongside Matt Damon. Following the success of the film, Affleck was catapulted into the leading man status, starring in successful films like Armageddon and Pearl Harbor.
However, by 2003, the Air actor’s career had taken a downturn with a bunch of bad films and unwanted media attention. The situation became so dire that Affleck was even dubbed the ‘world’s most overexposed actor’ by GQ magazine. His film career during this period included critically panned movies like Daredevil, Gigli, and Jersey Girl. However, he made a comeback in 2006 with the acclaimed role in Hollywoodland, where he played Superman actor George Reeves.
Despite losing out on a major role in Die Hard, Affleck’s career rebounded as he ventured into directing as well. His directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, was both a critical and commercial success. In 2013, his directorial venture, Argo, won the Best Picture Oscar, solidifying his status in the industry.
Live Free or Die Hard is now available for streaming on Max.
