Zooey Deschanel Reveals Whether She Thinks “Die Hard” Is a Christmas Movie or Not: Here's Her Surprising Answer (Exclusive)
- - Zooey Deschanel Reveals Whether She Thinks “Die Hard” Is a Christmas Movie or Not: Here's Her Surprising Answer (Exclusive)
Nicholas RiceDecember 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Zooey Deschanel, Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard.' -
Zooey Deschanel reveals whether she thinks Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE
Debate surrounds the film being considered a holiday classic, given that it was released in theaters over the summer and it does not center around a "traditional" storyline for a Christmas movie
Deschanel has an iconic holiday movie in her filmography — 2003's Elf
Zooey Deschanel has entered the controversial Christmas chat.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actress, 45, reveals whether she thinks Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not.
"It is," Deschanel says, taking a stance on the debate about surrounding the 1988 action film being considered a holiday classic, given that it was released in theaters over the summer and it does not center around what viewers have called a "traditional" storyline for a Christmas movie.
Comparing it to her latest film Merv, a Prime Video rom-com about a recently separated couple who take their dog on a trip to raise his saddened spirits amid the holidays, the mom of two further explains of Die Hard, "It takes place on Christmas."
"And maybe it's not like Elf or something, where there's a magical creature or a magical person or whatever at the center of the film — so it doesn't have that, like, super Christmas forward element — but it has Christmas in the background," Deschanel continues, including a reference to her 2003 holiday film, in which Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the Elf.
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Zooey Deschanel in 'Elf.'
Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, as he tries to protect a Los Angeles skyscraper from a terrorist attack while visiting his estranged wife during a Christmas Eve party.
Based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard also stars Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov and Bonnie Bedelia, and it was directed by John McTiernan.
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Back in 2020, McTiernan, 74, told the American Film Institute that he agrees with fans and critics who categorize Die Hard as a holiday film. “We hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie,” he said.
Willis, 70, however, has expressed different feelings. During Comedy Central’s 2018 Roast of Bruce Willis, the star gave his input on the Die Hard debate decades after the film’s release, stating, "I did this roast for one reason and for one reason only, to settle something once and for all. Now, please listen very carefully: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie! It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie."
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Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard.'
In Deschanel's latest film, she stars opposite Charlie Cox, as well as Chris Redd, Patricia Heaton, David Hunt, Ellyn Jameson, Wynn Everett and more.
The titular canine in Merv, meanwhile, is played by a dog named Gus, a wire-haired terrier rescue.
Signing on to the film — which is directed by Jessica Swale and features a script crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart — was a way for Deschenel to honor her love of romantic comedies.
"I was just so excited to see a really great rom-com with these complex characters, and just a way to tell this sweet breakup and makeup story with a little bit of holiday and a little bit of puppy love," she tells PEOPLE.
Merv is available to watch now on Prime Video.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
