So what's it like to play the bad guy in the new "Die Hard" film? Glamour, prestige, excitement, the chance to trade "Yippee-ki-yays" with Bruce Willis? "I just went to the set every day thinking, 'So far, so good - I haven't been fired yet,"' Timothy Olyphant says.
The 39-year-old Olyphant is best-known for playing Sheriff Seth Bullock on the HBO series "Deadwood," but he's on the wrong side of the law in "Live Free or Die Hard," set to open Wednesday. And, after a little coaxing, he'll admit that it was fun to watch Willis recreate his iconic character, Detective John McClane, in the series' long-awaited fourth film. "It was like time had stood still, and you just saw the character yesterday," Olyphant says.
"The minute Bruce walked out of his trailer on Day 1, he was back in business. It appears so second nature to him. You're watching a guy who is just so easygoing and relaxed.
The guy was having a ball." So was Olyphant, who in the tradition of "Die Hard" (1988) and its two sequels plays a cool, deceptively courteous villain with some seriously evil plans - in this case a cyber-terrorist who threatens to disable all computer systems throughout the United States. "The guy I play is pretty slick and has figured out all the angles," the actor says.
"He knows that, if someone were to hack into an infrastructure, they could bring down this country in a few days. My character is someone who has worked for the government. He warned them that this could happen, and now he's making it happen.
" The world has changed, of course, since "Die Hard," "Die Harder" (1990) and "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995) told their tongue-in-cheek stories of terrorism at, among other places, skyscrapers and airports. "We do explore terrorism, which is a tricky subject during these times," Olyphant concedes. "Yes, we're making a big summer popcorn movie, and the powers that be wrestled with the idea of adding terrorism into it.
"Our intention is for people to enjoy a roller-coaster ride with one of their favorite action heroes of all time," he says. "We don't disturb the fans to the point that it's not a fun ride. I promise you that you will enjoy.
" The "Die Hard" franchise is known for its great bad guys, starting with Alan Rickman in the original film and continuing with William Sadler and Jeremy Irons. Will Olyphant's Thomas Gabriel top them? Not necessarily, he says.
"I went into it without thinking that I had to outdo the villain played so deliciously by Alan Rickman in the first film," the actor says. "It's a slippery slope, as an actor, to go down that line of thinking. You just can't go on the set thinking, 'I'll never do as good as that guy.
"' He did watch the first "Die Hard" film several times, however, to prepare for his role. "The characters are memorable. If anything, I wanted to find something that Alan Rickman did and stick it in somewhere as a little homage.
" Besides, he adds, on a "Die Hard" movie the real heat always revolves around Willis. "We were down in San Pedro shooting," he recalls. "Everywhere we went it was, 'Hey, Bruce!
' The fans just came out of the woodwork. They really love this character and want to see him back on the big screen." Olyphant is a little less sure of his own big-screen destiny.
Until recently he saw himself mainly doing television work, but the surprise cancellation of "Deadwood" (2004-2006) and his unexpectedly successful audition for the romantic comedy "Catch and Release," in which he played a character nicknamed "Mr. Yummy" who winds up romancing Jennifer Garner's character, have changed his perspective. "I auditioned with my 'Deadwood' mustache," Olyphant recalls, "and thought that might keep me from the romantic-comedy guy role.
I'm amazed that the powers in charge didn't just see 'Deadwood Guy' but thought, 'We have the romantic guy of Jennifer Garner's dream right here."' Olyphant's character in "Catch and Release" had a memorable introduction: During the funeral of the fiance of Garner's character, she was hiding in a bathtub when he and the caterer burst into the bathroom and had noisy sex. "It was an odd way to start a film," the actor admits with a laugh.
"I shook hands with the girl I had movie sex with that day. It's like, 'Hi, I'm Timothy.' Two seconds later we're hot and heavy on a countertop.
"It's a great movie beginning, and Jennifer was hilarious in the tub because she's trapped in the bathroom." His upcoming films feature Olyphant in a wide variety of roles, which doesn't bother him at all. "I'm feeling fortunate that Hollywood is looking at me and they haven't figured out exactly what to do with me," he says.
"The good part is that I'm getting to play all sorts of characters. Please put it out there that, if Martin Scorsese calls, I'm there!" So what's it like to play the bad guy in the new "Die Hard" film?
Glamour, prestige, excitement, the chance to trade "Yippee-ki-yays" with Bruce Willis?
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