LOS ANGELES — It’s been well over two decades since Bruce Willis portrayed the character John McClane, a relentless NYC police officer and reluctant hero, in “Die Hard,” the a movie that made him the action star and household name he is today.
The franchise has been entertaining audiences with its relatable main protagonist and witty humor since the ’80s, and just last week the fifth installment, “A Good Day to Die Hard,” opened and brought in $25 million, making it the number one movie at the box office.
Willis, who typically doesn’t talk to press often, chatted with enthusiasm about his latest project at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills with a throng of journalists who eagerly asked why he believes fans still love “Die Hard.”
“I think that over the past 25 years, there’s been a certain amount of good will that has been visited on these films that the character and the characters engender,” he said. People root for you. People wanna see you because you know someone like me. Somebody that thinks he’s too smart. Somebody who thinks he has everything figured out when, in truth, he doesn’t have anything figured out.”
He added: “But no one here and no one on Earth really has everything figured out. It’s fun to watch people try to figure it out and get out of each other’s way.”
In addition to audiences wanting to see Willis pull off incredible stunts and engage in intense fight scenes, people love hearing him sarcastically utter the words “Yippee Ki-Yay” — now one of the most repeated catch phrases in pop culture.
“It was an ad-lib. Alan Rickman was such a good bad guy. He was constantly picking on me. He said something to me and I just happen to let that line slip out and it just became part of the fabric of the film,” Willis explained.
“It’s just amazing to me that the line has lasted this long. Kids say it to me on the street. Grandmoms. It’s a little awkward. But I’m happy that they say it.”