Bruce Willis’s most iconic role, John McClane in the Die Hard franchise is one to live by. The movies became classics and had one not watched them, that would be considered a heavy surprise. Whether the movie is an action masterpiece or a Christmas miracle, it sits perfectly on a mantelpiece as beautifully as the actor’s performance mesmerized fans.
The movie was a doubtful pick for many actors, creating a sense of confusion as to whether or not saying yes to Die Hard would be a good idea. The script seemed too bizarre and Willis was not even in the top five actors who were on the list to play the iconic character. In fact, he was the eighth choice to become John McClane.
Bruce Willis Surpassed Eight Other Actors To Get Die Hard
Bruce Willis‘s Die Hard made 1988’s Christmas iconic. The movie was first offered to many other actors, all of them finding one or the other reason to say no to the movie. Out of the many actors that were in line to play John McClane, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all trying their best to avoid the movie.
While Stallone not wanting to do the movie made sense, considering how it would have just been Rambo, in New York, it was still a mystery as to why Schwarzenegger was considered for the role but never offered a script. Other actors who were also prioritized over Willis included Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, and Don Johnson.
Frank Sinatra Was Considered To Play John McClane Over Bruce Willis
Frank Sinatra, legendary singer, and actor owned the rights to Die Hard’s script. Furthermore, the movie was actually written as a sequel to his The Detective. He was considered to star in the movie, however, he said no to the role. This made sense considering the prequel came two decades prior to Bruce Willis’s mega-hit movie.
Soon after the actor’s movie turned into a franchise and fans were dying to see him in the classic movie again and again. His character became iconic and he will forever be remembered for it. Whether or not the other actors regret rejecting the role, it can easily be said that for quite a few of them, it was a missed opportunity.
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