Bruce Willis names his favourite ‘Die Hard’ moment: “I thought that was an interesting scene”
What a career Bruce Willis has had. A crooked boxer in Pulp Fiction, a heroic driller-turned-astronaut in Armageddon, a reluctant superhero in Unbreakable, small island police captain in Moonrise Kingdom, he really has done it all, but he’ll always be best known as an action hero. Some have a sci-fi twist – Looper, The Fifth Element – while others highlight how badass old people can be – Red, The Expendables – but none of them would exist had it not been for the success of one film.
What is there to say about Die Hard that hasn’t already been said? Willis’ John McClane single-handedly battles a building full of terrorists with no back-up and no shoes, delivering memorable quip after memorable quip as he goes. It’s widely regarded as one of the greatest action movies of all time – and one of the greatest Christmas movies, too – and it set the template for so much of the success Willis would experience later in his career.
When discussing the film with Entertainment Weekly, its star was asked what his favourite moment from it was. Was it crawling through that air vent? Swinging from a fire hose? Getting to kill Alan Rickman? Actually, it was much more tender. “There was some discussion about whether or not McClane should cry or get choked up when he’s talking about saying goodbye to his wife,” he recalled. “I remember we did one take without and one with, and everybody liked the one where I got a bit choked up. I thought that was an interesting scene.”
McClane’s relationship with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) is the driving force of the film. The whole reason McClane is in Nakatomi Plaza in the first place is to try and win her back after she threatens him with divorce. Sure, he’s a police officer with a good heart, but he’s putting himself through so much turmoil to rescue her.
The scene Willis mentioned, where McClane relays a message for Holly via the radio to Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), comes at a crucial point in the narrative. It’s the end of the second act. McClane has been shot at, bloodied, and damn-near killed on several occasions during his one-man wrecking spree. This is the scene that is supposed to remind the audience that, though he may appear superhuman, McClane is a human being with motivations just like everyone else. It ties together all of the shooting and explosions and brings viewers back to the emotional core of the story. Without it, the film simply wouldn’t work.
Die Hard not only changed Willis’ life, but it changed the way Hollywood made action movies going forward. Lone heroes with relatable backstories became all the rage following its success, as seen in the likes of Speed, Air Force One, and basically every single one of Steven Segal’s films. When asked if he had any idea the film was going to be a hit, Willis replied, “None,” before revealing, “I started to get an idea when they started to show me cut footage of four or five scenes together.”
Willis’ favourite Die Hard scene reveals a lot about how he views the movie. Whilst most people are drawn to the bigger, louder moments, he remembers the very human part, the one that tested him the most as an actor. This appreciation for the subject matter is precisely why nobody else could have played John McClane.
