'Die Hard' crew feared for Bruce Willis' life after filming intense first scene of him jumping from ledge
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: When 'Die Hard' screenplay first circulated among Hollywood's top actors and agents, it received a lukewarm response, with many A-listers dismissing the role of John McClane, the film's protagonist. Steve de Souza, the screenwriter, revealed that actors like James Caan criticized the character, deeming him too weak in comparison to the prevailing 'roid-rage, superhuman heroes we had at the time, this character seemed like a pu–y.”
Despite facing initial rejections, the character of John McClane eventually transformed Bruce Willis from a TV comedic actor into an action movie legend with the 1988 classic. However, taking on the role came with its share of life-threatening hazards.
'That’s a Schwarzenegger movie!'
The role of John McClane was passed on by numerous notable actors, including Clint Eastwood, Richard Gere, Burt Reynolds, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charles Bronson, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, and even Frank Sinatra due to a contractual matter. Bruce Willis initially declined the offer due to commitments to the TV show 'Moonlighting' but when a pregnancy-related hiatus unexpectedly provided him with time, he accepted the role.
Despite his wild past as a streaker and a fighter, Bruce Willis was an unlikely choice for the action genre. He was an avid reader and not a fan of action movies, having also rejected the lead role in 'Lethal Weapon.' Additionally, his recent film, 'Blind Date,' had flopped, and he was known for endorsing a wine cooler branded as 'Bruce Juice'. “Bruce went and did his television character, and on a big screen it didn’t work,” said director John McTiernan. “Once the audience could see Bruce, closely and in higher definition, they didn’t like him. They didn’t like the smarta** thing.”
Willis received the role only after most of the rest of Hollywood had turned it down. “They’re going to laugh you off the screen,” 'Moonlighting' creator Glenn Gordon Caron told him when he was cast. “That’s a Schwarzenegger movie.” However, Bruce Willis' fortune took a turn when he secured the role of John McClane. Negotiations got heated, and he managed to demand a then-unprecedented $5 million for the part, thanks to the movie's desperate need for a lead actor. Fox chairman Barry Diller reluctantly agreed to the deal, saving the movie from collapsing.
When Bruce Willis was cast, John McClane was reimagined as a blue-collar wiseass, inspired by Willis' own background as a truck driver, security guard, and bartender. Before filming began, Willis transformed himself through sobriety and intense workouts. Nevertheless, The filming of 'Die Hard' came with its challenges and it started with the film's first shot.
'If I’m alive because I almost missed the bag!'
Arriving directly from the set of 'Moonlighting', Bruce Willis was whisked to the top of a five-story parking garage. “As he waited, rubbing his hands together and wearing only a pair of black trousers, a white firehose was looped around his bare midriff, a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun hung via a strap from his neck, and a viscous gel slathered over his exposed skin,” writes de Semlyen. When Bruce Willis inquired about the gel, he was told it would prevent him from catching on fire.
It was then he learned that his first shot required him to jump from a ledge onto an airbag. “As he did, large plastic bags of gasoline were detonated, unleashing a fireball that blew Willis, he claimed, right to the edge of the bag,” writes de Semlyen. “When I landed, everyone came running over to me and I thought they were going to say, ‘Great job! Attaboy!’” Willis later recalled. “And what they were doing is seeing if I’m alive because I almost missed the bag.”
Filming scenes like this for 'Die Hard' while also shooting 'Moonlighting' came to seem like a whirlwind for the actor, with Willis telling Caron at one point that he had “no idea what’s going on.” Tensions arose between Willis and the director, John McTiernan, who found it challenging to connect with the actor due to Willis' sensitivity and distrust of movie people. After a heated argument, the director finally understood the true motivation behind his star’s reluctance. It was known that Willis was uncomfortable about the camera focusing on his thinning hair. However, McTiernan assured him, “Bruce, it’s our job to make you look good!”