Bruce Willis is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. The exceptional actor who has tackled every genre with his outstanding acting skills in a career that spans over 40 years. The actor has been considered a jack of all trades in the movie business as he was fantastic in each genre which immensely appealed to the audience. Willis’ ability to be more than just a lead role, while demonstrating his acting chops, makes him one of a kind actor that our generation has witnessed.
Even though Bruce Willis has now retired due to frontotemporal dementia, the work he has left for future generations to see is beyond impressive. However, none of this would have been possible if Frank Sinatra had not decided to turn down the role in Die Hard, which later was offered to Willis becoming the most popular movie franchise in his career.
Frank Sinatra Nearly Replaced Bruce Willis in Die Hard Franchise
Die Hard is a classic American watch, released in 1988, the film became a timeless classic due to its plot, well-choreographed action scenes, and witty dialogues. The first movie earned $ 139.4 million worldwide at the box office, and Bruce Willis’ role as John McClane became the key highlight of the Die Hard movies.
The massive success of the action franchise resulted in multiple sequels that fans love to binge-watch. Not just sequels, the franchise had video games that were immensely popular among fans of the franchise. While celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Die Hard, Steven E. de Souza shared how everyone knows “how they went to Frank Sinatra first.”
Before the production of the film took place the creators of the film had to offer the role to Frank Sinatra because Die Hard was based on a novel that was the sequel to a 1968 film titled The Detective featuring Sinatra in the lead role.
Due to contract obligations, he was first offered the role of John McClane but turned it down because he was in his 70s, and can not do a role that was so physically demanding. Hence, the creators had to look for other actors of that time such as Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Al Pacino, and many more. However, the role ultimately went to the Pulp Fiction actor, and the rest we know is history.
Bruce Willis Had To Challenge Eight Actors to Bag The Role of John McClane in the Die Hard Franchise
Bruce Willis’ Die Hard was one of the best movies of 1988, making the year iconic. However, he was never considered to be the first choice for the role of John McClane as he recently did the Moonlighting series and many people did not know him for his films. Hence, the creators preferred a more renowned actor for the role, but all of the actors had a reason or two to turn down the role.
Out of the many top choices such as Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Al Pacino, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone, everyone turned down the role. Stallone’s reason to turn down the role was clear as Die Hard would give a similar feel to Rambo. However, it is still unclear why Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role but never sent a script for the movie. Nevertheless, the producers made the right decision by casting the Tears of the Sun actor for the role.
Die Hard can be streamed on Hulu.
Source: Slash Film
