Timothy Olyphant couldn’t refuse the offer to square off with Bruce Willis in the fourth installment of the popular action franchise.
“Back in 1988, I never thought, ‘I bet I could be in one of those “Die Hard” movies,'” the 39-year-old said. “It’s best not to overthink these things.”
As the villain in “Live Free or Die Hard,” which opened Wednesday, Olyphant plays tech mastermind Thomas Gabriel, who is threatening to take down the world’s digital infrastructure. There to stop him is Willis’ decidedly analog hero, John McClane.
Olyphant, most famous for playing Seth Bullock on the HBO Western “Deadwood,” said stepping into such an established franchise was fun but intimidating.
“At the end of the day, no matter what I’ve done in the last 10 years or what I do in the next 10 years, if I step foot anywhere in Asia, they will say, ‘You’re the villain from “Die Hard,'” he said.
Olyphant spoke from his hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he is filming his first starring action role, in the adaptation of the video game “Hitman.”
What attracted you to “Live Free or Die Hard”?
I liked [director] Len [Wiseman]; he is a very bright guy and is a real “Die Hard” fan. There is something about a director who is a huge fan, like the director of “Hitman” is a huge fan of the game. When people are unapologetic fans of the material, it feels infectious. Like me, he grew up with those movies, especially that first one.
Had you worked with or met Bruce Willis before? Did you two share much screen time?
I met him years ago at a table reading for a script he and I went to … I don’t know if he remembers. But he couldn’t have been nicer. We shot scenes in which we are talking to one another without ever having been around one another. I think he might have shot parts of the scene where I’m talking to him before we ever met. So he wasn’t there when I shot my side; ahh, the magic of film. In fact, I’m not sure the scene had been fully written when he shot it.
Is it fun playing the bad guy?
It’s fun in the sense that with those characters, no one is really home. You have a license to behave and act in certain ways. It’s the old cliche: The devil has the best lines.
How have your family and friends responded to you being in a “Die Hard” movie?
I’ve gotten e-mails from my friends. … They’re like, “Hey, buddy, I hear you’re in the new ‘Die Hard!’ Don’t [bleep] it up!”
What do you have planned as soon as “Hitman” wraps and you finish doing “Die Hard” press?
I plan on going home and drinking for about five days. I’ll tell my kids to run into the kitchen and get dad another beer. After that, I’ll regroup. But I don’t plan on working for a little bit.
Is there any more talk of a “Deadwood” movie?
There is still talk about it, but I’m not holding my breath. Obviously, as a fan of the show, it’s disappointing; it was one of the great experiences of my life. It’s a sad way to see it go. But I’d be shocked if they came up with something.
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FILM FAN TURNS SEQUEL MAKER
When director Len Wiseman (left) received the script for “Live Free or Die Hard,” the latest of the Bruce Willis action franchise, he felt like the 15-year-old he’d been when he saw the original in 1988.
“I was obsessed with `Die Hard’ in high school,” Wiseman said. “The action was amazing, and the relationship between the good guys was like nothing else I had seen before.”
Who would have guessed that nearly 20 years later, Wiseman would get the chance to shoot another of McClane’s adventures for the big screen?
“Working with Bruce, you realize that the wit, the charm and what people really like about John McClane are what Bruce brings to the table; it’s not actually on the page. A lot of what he brings to the film is his ad-libs and the way he reacts to the action and the way he’s involved in how much punishment he takes in the action sequences.” [ L.A. Times ]
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VILLIANS DIE HARD
Timothy Olyphant steps into some evil shoes in “Live Free or Die Hard.” Here are past villains who gave John McClane trouble. [ RedEye ]
‘Die Hard’
Alan Rickman hinted at the creepiness he’d bring to the Harry Potter films (as Severus Snape) when his terrorist Hans Gruber takes everyone in an L.A. high-rise hostage in order to steal $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds.
‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’
William Sadler played U.S. Army Col. Stuart, who uses an airplane full of hostages to negotiate the release of a Central American despot.
REDEYE’S FAVORITE
‘Die Hard: With a Vengeance’
Jeremy Irons chewed the scenery as bank robber Peter Krieg, brother of the first film’s Hans Gruber. He sent McClane on a game of “Simon Says” to draw attention away from the robbery.
