Die Hard would’ve been a very different movie without Bruce Willis, and it’s hard to believe that his casting in the seminal 1988 action classic was considered so controversial at the time. The film is rightfully considered one of the finest of its kind ever made, and much of its appeal comes from Willis’ undeniable on-screen charisma. Today, film lovers find it hard to imagine a version of Die Hard without Willis, or a world in which the actor’s career never involved explosions, high-speed chases, or death-defying acts of heroism in the face of great odds.
However, while Willis has remained synonymous with the action-movie genre for multiple generations, this wasn’t always the case. Back in the late 1980s, Bruce Willis was far from a household name, and those who did know who he was likely wouldn’t have pegged him as the action-movie type. It might be difficult to consider all these years later, but not only was Willis not the first choice for the legendary role of John McClane, but he wasn’t the second or third choice, either.
When Willis did eventually land the role, the casting immediately became a source of debate and worry. In many ways, it was only by sheer stubbornness and a steadfast belief in Willis’ acting ability that the actor managed to hang onto the soon-to-be-iconic role. But what exactly was it that made Willis such a seemingly poor choice for the role of a heroic, charismatic cop who thwarts a terrorist attack in a skyscraper?
Back in the 1980s, the big screen was dominated by iconic action-hero actors whose cinematic personas made them legends. Actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Chuck Norris made a name for themselves by dodging bullets, outrunning explosions, and narrowly escaping death in their films. They were truly larger than life, and defined the action-movie hero during the decade. During this time, Bruce Willis’ career was about as far away from bullets, explosions, and larger-than-life onscreen heroism as possible. Beginning in 1985, Willis was a regular on the comedy/drama TV series Moonlighting, which helped establish him as a lovable and goofy character actor. To put it mildly, his role of Detective David Addison Jr. on Moonlighting was a far cry from anything resembling an action hero.
When the Die Hard franchise's first director John McTiernan cast Willis in the lead role of hardened cop John McClane, the response from both the studio and the press was understandable confusion. The choice seemed misguided at best and disastrous for the film at worst. Many within the industry began predicting failure for Die Hard based on Willis’ casting alone. Thankfully, McTiernan and the Die Hard team stuck by their decision to cast Willis, whose lack of action-hero bravado and Schwarzenegger-like physique was exactly what McTiernan felt the film needed. The character of John McClane wasn’t intended to be a buff, toughened action hero, but instead, a normal, hard-working, dedicated cop who found himself in an incredible situation. This not only grounded the character in greater realism, but also helped make him more relatable and believable for the audience. When Die Hard was released on July 15, 1988, its immediate success soon proved the critics and the studio wrong; viewers immediately connected with the character of John McClane, and Bruce Willis found himself transformed from a goofy sitcom regular into an action-movie icon practically overnight.