Timothy Olyphant might be best known for playing more heroic parts, but his villain turn in Live Free or Die Hard saw him play against type in a big way. Olyphant has had a delightfully varied CV, starting out with villainous roles in the likes of Scream 2 and Go before ᴅᴇᴀᴅwood changed his career. Both this classic HBO series and his role as Marshal Raylan Givens in Justified made Olyphant an honorary Western star. His sardonic, ice-cool turn as Givens has become something of a signature role for the star, too.
This is despite the fact Olyphant has played as many antiheroes or outright bad guys as he has good guys; he even voiced a Terminator in Netflix’s Terminator Zero anime. Following the cancellation of ᴅᴇᴀᴅwood in 2006, Olyphant found himself joining the Die Hard movie franchise as Gabriel, the mastermind behind a hack designed to shut down the United States. Live Free or Die Hard sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, though despite this, it’s considered a weaker outing from the series.
Timothy Olyphant’s Live Free Or Die Hard Role Was Totally Against Type
Olyphant’s Gabriel was an icy Die Hard antagonist
Making Olyphant the latest Die Hard villain, with his movie star looks and more chilled out vibe, was an interesting case of casting against type back in 2007. Of course, the franchise is known for pitting Bruce Willis’ McClane against more intellectual foes like the Gruber brothers, sp Gabriel is in that tradition. Viewers who know Olyphant best for his more Western-themed roles in Justified or The Mandalorian will be in for a surprise watching Live Free or Die Hard also.
There’s nothing warm or heroic about Gabriel, who is committing an act of revenge against the nation after being fired by the government. Outside his romance with henchwoman Mai (Maggie Q), Olyphant’s Gabriel has zero regard for the high bodycount his attack is causing. He is, however, a vain and petty individual, as can be seen by how personally he takes McClane’s attempts to stop him. Naturally, he underestimates the dogged cop from New Jersey, which leads to his downfall.
Timothy Olyphant pᴀssed on the Dom Toretto role in The Fast and the Furious, which later went to his A Man Apart co-star Vin Diesel.
Unfortunately for Olyphant, his Live Free or Die Hard villain doesn’t rank that high compared to Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber; that said, this complaint could be leveled against just about every other action movie villain. Gabriel isn’t the deepest role, but Olyphant succeeds in giving the character some depth. Even if Gabriel isn’t the most sympathetic figure, Olyphant’s performance at least gives viewers an insight into why he’s carrying out the attack, instead of just playing a mustache-twirling foe.
Timothy Olyphant Is Great As A Villain, Even If He Usually Plays Cops
His Die Hard villain is totally unJustified in his actions
In a hilariously candid 2019 Rolling Stone interview, Olyphant opened up about his decision to make action movies like Live Free or Die Hard and video game adaptation Hitman. The actor had just purchased a house when ᴅᴇᴀᴅwood was canceled, so when in need of quick cash, he said yes point blank to both projects – despite having little enthusiasm for either. Of ᴅᴇᴀᴅwood’s cancellation, he stated:
What we have to thank for this is the villain in [Live Free or] Die Hard and a f****** bald head in Bulgaria shooting Hitman. That’s what that phone call led to. “How about the villain of Die Hard?” I said, “Sure.” And they’re like, “Do you want to read the script?” I said, ” I get it. I’m in. I just bought a house. Did you not hear? They just canceled my f****** show. Yes, I’ll do it.” “What about this video game adaptation?” “Yes to that too. I’m in. I’ve got to make up some TV money.”
Olyphant is such a naturally charismatic performer that even when miscast in movies like Hitman, he’s still never less than compelling. He received mixed notices for both Hitman and Live Free or Die Hard, which may have led him to turn away from villain parts. Soon after, Olyphant landed the lead in Justified, with most of his other movie projects like The Crazies casting him as a more traditional hero. More recently, Olyphant turned back to the dark side, such as playing a corrupt cop in the violent Netflix thriller Havoc with Tom Hardy.
Great as he is playing characters like Givens, it would be cool to see Olyphant play more bad guys. Whether playing it straight or being hammy, he’s just a lot of fun in those kinds of roles. Live Free or Die Hard and Go are proof of that, and despite only having a small role in Vin Diesel’s A Man Apart, he still stole every scene. It will also be interesting to see if Olyphant’s android character in the upcoming series Alien: Earth turns villainous at some stage.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Rolling Stone
