Die Hard villain Alan Rickman once told Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure star Alex Winter that not everyone reacted well when seeing him out and about.
“People come up to me and spit in my face. They come up to you and tell you how much they love you,” Rickman said.
Winter shared the details during his interview with The New York Times. He said that once as he was walking with Alan Rickman down the street, a fan approached the actors, after which Rickman told Winter:
“You’re so lucky that you’re known for playing Bill and not Hans Gruber the terrorist.”
The 1988 action film Die Hard featured Alan Rickman as a German radical, Hans Gruber, who faced off the NYPD Detective John McClane, played by Bruce Willis.
Rickman is also known for his roles in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the Harry Potter series of films and Love Actually, among others. The actor was also famous for his distinct tone of voice and delivery.
We really miss him.#alanrickman https://t.co/0VJVgOmbWH
— Forla (@Nicoletta_Forla) August 19, 2020
Rickman passed away in 2016, after fighting to beat pancreatic cancer, diagnosed earlier in 2015.