Episode 17: Die Hard with Steven E. de Souza
Welcome to the party, listeners. On this very special festive bonus episode of Script Apart, we’re celebrating the holidays the only way we know how: with a deep dive into the writing of Die Hard, courtesy of none other than the film’s co-writer, Steven E De Souza. Yes, it’s a Christmas film. In fact, for countless fans around the world, Die Hard is the Christmas movie: a touching yuletide tale of family reconciliation, that just so happens to feature a tonne of explosions.
Die Hard is a movie that needs no introduction, but here’s a short one anyways: Bruce Willis became a megastar after his part in this 1988 action classic, starring as John McClane – a no-nonsense New York City cop who becomes embroiled in a terrorist takeover of the Nakatomi Tower in Los Angeles. McClane ventures to LA for the holidays, intent on winning back his estranged wife, Holly. John’s not the only uninvited guest who turns up at her company’s Christmas party, though. Enter Hans Gruber, one of the greatest action villains in movie history, played by the great Alan Rickman.
Commando writer Steven came on board the project after screenwriter Jeb Stuart originated the project, adapting the 1978 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. Die Hard had been envisioned as “Rambo in an office block” – a gun-toting B-movie based on a book in which John is attempting to save his daughter, not his wife. The film, however, ended up becoming something grander: an action movie that broke almost every action movie rule, hiding a sentimental heart and redefining American movie masculinity in the process.
From his home in LA, full of the wildest Die Hard and Commando memorabilia imaginable, Steven shared with us a tonne of secrets from the development of this timeless movie. Get ready to discover why he considers Hans Gruber to be the protagonist of Die Hard; why he and Jeb got rid of a plot thread in which it turns out John McClane fought Gruber's dad in World War 2, and why the film is in his opinion more of a Christmas movie than Bing Crosby’s White Christmas.
Script Apart is a podcast about the first-draft secrets behind great movies. Each episode, the screenwriter behind a beloved film shares with us their initial screenplay for that movie. We then talk through what changed, what didn’t and why on its journey to the big screen. All proceeds go to Black Minds Matter UK, the NHS Charities Covid-19 Appeal and the Film and TV Charity.
Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek, with music from Stefan Bindley-Taylor. You can follow Script Apart on Twitter and Instagram. You can also email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.
