Elf Star Zooey Deschanel Finally Settles the Die Hard Christmas Movie Debate
Elf star Zooey Deschanel wades into the Die Hard Christmas-movie debate with a definitive take, nodding to its festive backdrop while weighing it against the cozy traditions of holiday classics in an exclusive interview.
Every December, the Die Hard debate crawls out of the air vents. This year, Zooey Deschanel weighed in. Yes, Elf Zooey. New Girl Zooey. And she did not hedge.
Zooey Deschanel: firmly Team Christmas
In a recent interview, the 45-year-old actress said Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie. Her logic is simple: the entire story unfolds on Christmas Eve. She also pointed out that it is not trying to be Elf-level whimsical, but Christmas is baked into the setting and that counts.
"Maybe it is not like Elf or something, where there is a magical creature or a magical person at the center of the film - so it does not have that super Christmas-forward element - but it has Christmas in the background."
Quick Die Hard refresher
Die Hard hit theaters in 1988. Bruce Willis plays NYPD cop John McClane, who ends up battling terrorists in a Los Angeles skyscraper during his wife’s office Christmas party. The movie is based on Roderick Thorp’s 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever.
The never-ending debate, in one place
- Zooey Deschanel (45): Yes. Christmas Eve setting = Christmas movie, even without elves and sparkle.
- John McTiernan (director): Has said the film basically evolved into a Christmas classic over time.
- Bruce Willis (star): No. At his 2018 Comedy Central roast, he declared it is not a Christmas movie - it is a Bruce Willis movie.
- Fans: Plenty stack it in their holiday marathons. Less tinsel, more detonators, still December viewing.
So if your seasonal queue swings from cocoa to chaos, Zooey is backing your interpretation. And honestly, once you set your action movie in a Christmas Eve office party, you are kind of asking to live on lists next to Elf forever.