It's been a minute since fans last saw both Holly McClane and Sgt. Al Powell. The two characters both had key parts of play in both Die Hard and its first sequel, Die Harder, but we sadly haven't seen them in the 28 years since. Given that we know what John McClane has been up to, it's easy to wonder what they've been doing -- and fortunately I recently got both Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson to offer their thoughts on the story. Bedelia told me,
Holly got remarried. There have been other _Die Hard_s since then, and she's not there. And the daughter's there. So if she was still in the picture, it would be different. And, you know, she's too lovely to be alone for long.
This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the original Die Hard, and last week I had the opportunity to celebrate the occasion by not only taking a tour of the legendary Fox Plaza a.k.a. Nakatomi Plaza, but also sit down with Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson. We had a great little chat about the film's status as a Christmas movie, their interactions with fans, and even a bit about the love for the original shown on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (more on that to come) -- but I concluded the interview with the aforementioned question, asking what they thought Holly and Al are doing today.
Bonnie Bedelia was first to answer, and offered that Holly is possibly neither Holly McClane nor Holly Gennaro anymore, and has instead remarried after being divorced from John. Pointing to the fact that their daughter, Lucy, is featured in Live Free Or Die Hard (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the actress thinks that Holly probably moved on from her New York cop husband, and found someone else who perhaps doesn't spend so much time dangling from skyscrapers on fire hoses and running around New York solving puzzles.
As for Al Powell, Reginald VelJohnson imagines a quiet life for his Die Hard character. He apparently experienced more than enough excitement during his career as a cop, and has decided to settle down with his family and simply reflect fondly on the day the Nakatomi Corporation's Christmas party was interrupted by a gang of international thieves. Said Vel Johnson,
Al, I think he retired, of course. He's become a sedentary - he sits on his porch. But the experience was mind blowing to him, and he'll never have another experience... never going to top that.
Of course, the adventures of Holly Gennaro McClane and Al Powell will forever live in the annals of cinematic history, and fans will always be able to look back on their adventures in both Die Hard and Die Hard 2. The former just recently released a brand new 30th anniversary edition, including a 4K restoration, and copies are now available everywhere.
