Western legend Clint Eastwood was the top choice for a number of iconic roles – even once being targeted as the next James Bond.
But it was a choice in the late 1980s that helped create the career of a future action legend. Eastwood was the top choice to play reluctant hero cop John McClane in Die Hard, a role that eventually launched Bruce Willis into superstardom.
The Man With No Name series star allegedly turned down the film because he didn’t get the humor of the role, even though screenwriter Jeb Stuart claimed Eastwood was his inspiration for the role.
“They went to Clint Eastwood first. Ironically, his response to the producers was, ‘I don’t get the humor,”’ Stuart explained. “Which, for me, was a shock because if you listen to a lot of those words, Eastwood’s one of the few people who could have delivered a line like ‘Come to LA, have a great time.’ All that kind of stuff. You could see him doing that. He was my inspiration.”
Willis would later become an action legend, starring in roles like Armageddon and the underrated Red series.
‘Die Hard’ Ranked Among Best Action Movies
Studio Binder ranked Die Hard as the No. 2 action movie of all time just behind Mad Max: Fury Road.
“These days, there tends to be a trope in action movies that the hero needs to be a “chosen one” or is particularly special for some reason. Die Hard proves you don’t need any of that. The film follows a regular guy who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He uses his wits and savvy, and as a result, the fights have a real weight to them because you know how vulnerable John McClane is,” Studio Binder wrote.
Die Hard owns an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audiences alike.
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