25 Things You Didn't Know About Die Hard With A Vengeance

18. Sean Connery Was McTiernan's First Choice To Play Simon

Sean Connery spent most of the nineties taking on parts in crime and action films, with perhaps the most famous being Michael Bay's The Rock, which released in 1996.

However, had director John McTiernan had his way, Connery would've starred in Die Hard with a Vengeance instead, with the director having shortlisted the Scottish actor as his first choice for the part of Simon Gruber. Connery supposedly passed on the role because he didn't want to take on the role of a villain, with Jeremy Irons going on to play the character instead.