20 Things You Didn't Know About Die Hard

8. Sam Neill Turned Down The Role Of Hans Gruber

Acting veteran Sam Neill already had over a decade of prominent movie roles under his belt before Die Hard went into production, and was actually offered the part of Hans Gruber before Alan Rickman.

Given that Neill had a rep for playing deliciously intimidating villains before winning the iconic role of Dr. Alan Grant in 1993's Jurassic Park, it's easy to see what the studio was thinking here.

But as fate would have it, Neill turned it down, after which Fox eventually deferred to Rickman, and film history was made. It's easy to imagine Neill bringing his own distinct intensity to the part, even if his Gruber would've also been so fundamentally different.