'Die Hard’s Most Memorable Moment with Alan Rickman: How a Stunt Gone Early
The truth behind Alan Rickman’s iconic fall in Die Hard.
Die Hard is widely regarded as one of the greatest action films ever made, largely thanks to Alan Rickman’s portrayal of the cool and calculating villain Hans Gruber. Yet few know that Rickman’s expression during his character’s iconic death scene was entirely genuine.
During the stunt, the crew were meant to drop Rickman from a height of 25 metres onto an airbag on the count of three. However, in an effort to capture a real reaction, they released him slightly earlier than planned.
Rickman was less than pleased with this unexpected early drop. Nevertheless, the resulting footage is unforgettable, and the image of Gruber plummeting to his death has since become legendary in cinema history.
