If the public talks about the golden age of action films straight from the Hollywood industry, there there are a couple of names that are bound to make an appearance in that conversation. Amongst them, Bruce Willis might have a probability to be in one of the top spots thanks to the number of films that he has been a part of that had the audience on the edge of their seats.
Being part of some of the most commercially and critically successful films from the 80s and the 90s era of Hollywood, the star has forever engraved his name in the pages of cinema history as one of the finest action stars of all time. But while he might be a household name now, there could’ve been a possibility that he might’ve been forgotten.
Bruce Willis Was Never The First Choice For Die Hard
While he might be popular for a plethora of different action films in the Hollywood industry over the years, the film that personified Bruce Willis as the action star he’s revered today will undoubtedly go to 1988’s blockbuster Die Hard. The film earned a whopping $142 Million and opened the doors for the film to spread its wings and turn into a multi-billion dollar franchise. This tremendous success would’ve been lost to the Pulp Fiction star if Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t decline the offers.
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While it may not be common knowledge, there were many action superstars of the time that were offered the role of the protagonist John McClane before it eventually went to Willis. Among other names apart from the aforementioned ones, the list included heavy hitters like Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, and many more.
The factors that may have acted as a deterrent to these stars signing the contract can be the fact that the film was released at Christmas time, the part of the year when people tend to watch films with their families, which in turn, increases the appeal of light-hearted and family-friendly films. Another one can be due to the fact that the script was a simple one with nothing unique about it, which didn’t entice the stars before Willis.
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What Makes Die Hard Great?
While the story or the narrative might not be the most unique of the bunch, Die Hard didn’t try to present it that way, which was one of the reasons why the film attracted the audience. Instead of bringing a hero with freakishly invincible strength or attributes from the start, the film told the story of John McClane, a cop who is brave, but at the same time, vincible and fallible. Along with that, the development of the character was also on-point as it shows McClane overcoming his shortcomings to save the day.
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Die Hard, streaming on Hulu.
Source: @Roku
