Bruce Willis nearly died while filming a famous movie and was not the initial casting choice, according to a new book.

How Bruce ⁣Willis Almost​ Died During Filming of Iconic Movie

It may be hard for the younger generations to believe, but there was a⁣ time when nobody in Hollywood thought Bruce Willis could carry an action movie.

A new book about heroes‍ of the silver screen provides a glimpse into the series of events that ‌led ⁣ Willis to his starring role in the beloved film “Die Hard,” according to the New York Post.

The book also relates a story about a stunt from the​ film in which Willis came pretty close to “dying hard” ⁣himself.

Nick de Semlyen chronicled ‍the stories ‍behind ⁤the testosterone-laden shoot-em-ups of that era in “The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of​ Carnage.”

In ⁤the section about Willis, de Semlyen rattled off a list⁤ of stars who reportedly turned down the role of wise-cracking ⁢cop John McClane, according to the Post.

The list reads like​ a stroll down Hollywood’s famous Walk⁢ of Fame, with names‌ like Sylvester‍ Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Burt​ Reynolds, Al Pacino and Harrison Ford.

Every one of those actors and more turned down the role when the script for “Die Hard” was ⁢ making the ‍rounds, because the‌ character was a wisecracking cop viewed by ⁤some of the stars as too much of a loser ‍for them ⁢to​ risk their reputations‌ on.

That left the producers with one‍ option left: Willis, who, at‍ the time, was “just” ⁣a TV star,‌ played a wisecracking private detective⁢ in the wildly popular sitcom ⁢“Moonlighting.”

It turned out to be a‌ stroke of casting genius.

Are ​you glad the studio cast ⁤Bruce ⁢Willis in ‍Die Hard?

• Yes
• No

The first shot of the film very ‍nearly ⁢became his⁣ last‌ day of shooting —⁣ ever — ⁢according to de Semlyen, as quoted in⁤ the Post.

Willis was directed to jump from a ledge on ⁣a‍ five-story parking garage onto an air⁢ bag below.

“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,” de Semlyen said.

“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.”

Despite ​its rough⁢ start in the casting phase, and despite the naysayers like Schwarzenegger, who mocked Willis’ “toothpick arms,” “Die⁤ Hard” ultimately surprised everyone ⁤by becoming a huge audience favorite.

“Willis’s regular-Joe appearance intensified the tension considerably,” de Semlyen ​wrote, in an exclusive excerpt published by Entertainment Weekly.

“Bruce is not imposing. You don’t meet him and ​go, ‘Whoo!’” says‌ [producer Lawrence] Gordon. “It really worked for the film, ’cause ⁢you believe he⁤ may not ‍make​ it.”

No word ⁣from either the‌ Post or Entertainment Weekly gave ‍people a clue as to whether de Semlyen answered the ⁢one question most “Die Hard” fans really want to know: Should the film should ​be classified as a Christmas movie?

But it did acknowledge that the ​faith of the producers and casting directors was rewarded when “Die Hard” became the⁢ top-grossing action ‌flick of 1988.

It also ⁣launched Bruce Willis’ career as a top box-office draw in action movies for⁤ the next several decades.

The post New Book Reveals Bruce Willis Almost Died During ⁤Filming of Iconic Movie, Not First Choice ​for Casting appeared first on ⁣ The Western Journal.