Little-Known Secrets From The Set Of 'Die Hard'
Die Hard is one of those popcorn movies you can watch over and over again. Featuring iconic performances by Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, it's one of those films where you notice something new every time you see it. And we bet you haven't uncovered every single detail about this classic. The next time you flip on everyone's favorite action/maybe-Christmas movie, impress your friends with these behind-the-scenes facts that only true Die Hard fans know. Yippee-ki-yay!
Genuine panic
You know the classic shot of Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman, falling down the side of Nakatomi Tower? Well, that shocked look on Gruber’s face is real. The stunt coordinators told Rickman they would drop him onto an airbag — which was forty feet below.
The plan was to release him on the count of three, but producer Joel Silver pulled a fast one and had them drop Rickman early to get a more authentic reaction.
Explosions that were a little too realistic
During the filming of the movie, Bruce Willis suffered permanent partial hearing loss in his left ear. Why? To add a sense of realism loud blank rounds were shot off in several scenes.
One was accidentally fired too close to Willis’ head. And his hearing couldn't have gotten any better after all the Die Hard sequels and other action parts he played, either.
An expensive glass budget
During the production of the movie, around $130,000 of the $28 million budget was set aside exclusively for buying glass. That’s about as much as a college tuition!
Real glass, fake glass, or safety glass, Die Hard features a lot of it, and a lot of it gets broken. If that doesn't scare you into wearing shoes, we don't know what will.
Weird financial loopholdes
The iconic building that was used in the movie as Nakatomi Plaza was actually the real-life headquarters of 20th Century Fox, the production company that made Die Hard.
Strangely, even though the skyscraper was their property, Fox still had to charge itself a location rental fee to use the space. That must have been some interesting paperwork to fill out.