Die Hard is known for at least one of the best catchphrases ever uttered onscreen, but it also has a lot of other interesting facts that you might not realize. It was one of the more iconic films of its time but it was also one of the most improvised if you can believe that. Also the main actor wasn’t even believed to be a big action hero as of yet since he didn’t have the type of screen credit that producers were looking for.
Guess this really showed them huh? Here’s a few other facts about the movie you might not have known.
10. Fox Plaza has been used for a few different films.
It’s one of the buildings that blows up in Fight Club, and it was used in Airheads and Speed.
9. The building was actually still under construction on several levels.
Those parts of the building you see with bare wall and that still need framing were still being built so the director decided to keep it that way.
8. The part of John McClane was offered to a lot of actors that turned it down.
Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood, and a few others turned the role down. Bruce Willis was the first one to say yes.
7. It was originally going to be a sequel to Commmando.
Once Schwarzenegger said no to the film they put a halt to it and didn’t go back until they were ready to pick another actor.
6. Alan Rickman’s look of surprise when he fell was very genuine.
Rickman had a very serious fear of heights. They had to drop him 40 feet and he was waiting for a three count before his drop. They did it on two, so his fear is very real. Thankfully they got it in one take.
5. They used a painted backing around the 34th floor to simulate the city of LA.
The enormous backing was actually lit to simulate the nightlife and create the idea that McClane was actually hanging off the side of the building in open air. The backing has been used in other films.
4. The Bill Clay scene wasn’t originally in the script.
This scene wasn’t originally supposed to happen when Hans and McClane meet and Hans says his name is Bill Clay. The director was simply impressed that Alan Rickman could pull off such a believable American accent.
3. The fall into the ventilation shaft was technically a mistake.
This happened when a stuntman accidentally fell and caught hold of the ventilation shaft. It was deemed so impressive that they kept it.
2. A lot of the script was improvised.
Thanks to a host of tweaks that were made during the filming the lines had to be improvised again and again to make the film believable.
1. It’s known by other titles in different countries.
Since the title doesn’t translate all that well in other countries it’s known by a different name. In Spain it’s The Crystal Jungle and in Poland it’s The Glass Trap.
So fess up, how many of these facts did you know already?
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