Hollywood
Stallone and Schwarzenneger refused to star in ‘Die Hard’, and it saved the movie
The success of ‘Die Hard’ was as much from its premise and Bruce Willis’ acting, as it was from Stallone and Schwarzenegger rejecting the project.
What do Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis have in common? Besides the fact that all three of them are big stars of the action genre and that they participated in the first two ‘The Expendables’, these three actors were all considered for the role of John McClane in ‘Die Hard’, a role that Willis eventually took and which became one of his most iconic roles. Ironically, the fact that Stallone and Schwarzenegger did not accept the role themselves was positive for the project, which subsequently was considered one of the best action films of all time.
‘Die Hard’ was based on a 1979 novel called ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, by Roderick Thorp. This book was also a sequel to ‘The Detective’, which was adapted to film in 1968 in a film starring Frank Sinatra.
Although while ‘Die Hard’ was being filmed Sinatra was 73 years old, a clause in his contract from the previous film gave him the right to return to play Detective Joe Leland., the protagonist. However, due to his advanced age, the actor and singer decided not to take advantage of this opportunity, and consequently, the character of Joe Leland was rejuvenated and transformed into the figure of John McClane, a middle-aged New York police officer.
The next big name on the list of possible candidates to star in this action movie was Arnold Schwarzenegger. The reason why it was taken into account was the fact that the typical action hero of the time was a muscular, burly man who exuded testosterone., and Schwarzenegger fit the description perfectly, especially with previous roles in productions such as ‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982) and ‘Commando’ (1985).
Furthermore, the director of ‘Die Hard’, John McTiernan, I had already worked with him in ‘Predator’ (1987), but the ex-bodybuilder declined the offer because he wanted to expand his horizons and make the leap into comedy. with films like ‘Twins’ (1988) with Danny DeVito.
After this name fell off the list, the producers of this film tried without success to hire other actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, and Mel Gibson, but none were available. This is the moment when it was decided to give Bruce Willis a chance, who at the time was mainly known for his roles on television.
This casting decision was key to the film’s success. The script had to adapt to Willis’s relatively ordinary physique, in contrast to muscular figures like Stallone or Schwarzenegger. John McClane was, after all, an ordinary police officer who depended on his wits and luck. And although he managed to emerge victorious at the end of the movie, during the course of it he gets injured repeatedly, adding suspense to the plot and giving the real impression that the hero could fail his mission.
McClane’s sense of humor along with his characterization as a normal guy who found himself involved in circumstances as dangerous as they were extraordinary were the highest-rated aspects of the film. Willis earned five million dollars for his work in ‘Die Hard’, which made him one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood overnight, with a salary comparable to that of other movie stars with a lot of experience such as Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.
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