Bruce Willis reportedly resisted delivering a comic line in the 1990 sequel Die Hard 2, believing it was overly cheesy and at odds with his wish to be seen as a serious film actor. Director Renny Harlin insisted that John McClane’s humour was central to the character’s appeal, making the disagreement significant to the film’s tone.

The disputed airport-counter line, “Just the fax, ma’am,” followed McClane showing his wedding ring to a flirtatious employee. Harlin said Willis initially refused, but agreed to deliver it once after roughly an hour of persuasion involving producer Joel Silver; the director later argued the moment made McClane more relatable. Die Hard 2 ultimately earned about twice the box-office takings of the first film.