History Trivia / DieHard2

* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/WilliamSadler trained for several months in Karate and Tai Chi to prepare for the ending fight scene and also asked for time to get ripped upon learning he'd be appearing nude in his first scene. [[{{Fanservice}} It worked.]]

** Towards the end, the original script had [=McClane=] declaring: "Hey Colonel...happy fucking New Year!" while igniting the kerosene, but Bruce Willis went with "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" instead. It's unclear as to whether Willis did this on purpose or not, but director Harlin liked the call-back to the first movie and agreed it was even better this way.

* ActingForTwo: In the Latin American Spanish dub, Eduardo Fonseca pulls triple duty voicing Marvin and Mayor Grant, as well as reprising his role as Al Powell.

* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/WilliamSadler trained for several months in Karate and Tai Chi to prepare for the ending fight scene and also asked for time to get ripped upon learning he'd be appearing nude in his first scene.

* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/WilliamSadler trained for several months in Karate and Tai Chi to prepare for the ending fight scene.

** A scene of O'Reilly and Sheldon killing off two painters and stealing their truck as well as their uniforms (to pose as painters later in the Skywalk SWAT team ambush scene).

* DistancedFromCurrentEvents: A TV showing of the second film was delayed in the UK - and instead replaced with the showing of the Creator/SylvesterStallone movie ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'' -- because of a recent incident at Glasgow Airport involving a flaming car crashing into the building, and with the movie being set in an airport, they probably thought showing it would be in bad taste.

* HostilityOnTheSet: In an interview, John Amos said there was actual tension between him and Creator/BruceWillis during the course of filming which got reflected on screen. "Let's just say that he will never humiliate me in public again," Amos said. "You got that, Bruce?"

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The film primarily takes place at an airport, and the relaxed security would appear astounding to modern audiences. John smokes a cigarette at an airport cafe, and a passenger onboard an aircraft casually reveals a stun gun in her purse. After John gets in a gunfight and kills a terrorist in the luggage area, the police refuse to close down the airport or seal off the area.

** The part where Garber sticks his hand in front of the camera and says "No pictures, you plinko bitch" was unscripted. Don Harvey actually improvised this part and it was kept in the scene.

*** A scene establishing the presence of a young girl on the airplane that later crashes, whose teddy bear is the same one [=McClane=] later picks up from the wreckage.

* CreatorBacklash: Creator/BruceWillis revealed in his conversation with Creator/KevinSmith on the ''Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard'' set that in retrospect, he didn't like the second and third movies as much as the first. He by no means hated them, but he thought ''Live Free or Die Hard'' was the best of the sequels.
** Willis later expressed displeasure with the film because he felt it was too similar to the original and he didn't like the constant references to that film.

* TooSoon: A TV showing of the second film was delayed in the UK - and instead replaced with the showing of the Creator/SylvesterStallone movie ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'' -- because of a recent incident at Glasgow Airport involving a flaming car crashing into the building, and with the movie being set in an airport, they probably thought showing it would be in bad taste.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Odds are you'll never find airport security this lax in the post-9/11 era.
** Not to mention the jokes regarding then-new technologies like airline phones, fax machines, and tasers.

** According to the original script, Colonel Stuart's death was different compared to the final film: in the script, he remained outside on the airplane's wing a bit longer after knocking off McClane, then took notice of the fuel trail as [=McClane=] lights it; horrified, he ordered Esperanza to take off, but it was too late as the fuel caused the plane to explode, and Stuart was promptly "blown to little pieces".

** A scene of two of the terrorists killing off two painters and stealing their truck as well as their uniforms (to pose as painters later in the Skywalk SWAT team ambush scene).

*** Additional footage of the henchman being killed in the conveyor belt, including a longer shot of his head as it gets crushed and his hand violently twitching and smoking as his head is electrocuted.

*** Additional footage of RobertPatrick's character being shot by [=McClane=] through a ventilation grate.

*** A longer and more graphic shot of the church sentry being stabbed with an icicle.

** According to the original script, Colonel Stuart's death was different compared to the final film: in the script, he remained outside on the airplane's wing a bit longer after knocking off McClane, then took notice of the fuel trail as [=McClane =]lights it; horrified, he ordered Esperanza to take off, but it was too late as the fuel caused the plane to explode, and Stuart was promptly "blown to little pieces".

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The original script had a ''lot'' more swearing, to the point where Fred Thompson complained that the excessive cursing made the film unintentionally funny in scenes that were supposed to be serious. While the film still has plenty of cursing, it's apparently nowhere near the amount in the first script.