The debate over the film’s status as a holiday classic persists among fans and critics. Interestingly, two of its actors and a couple of behind-the-scenes crew members have offered their thoughts. Do they consider it a Christmas movie, or do they see it merely as an action film with festive references? Here’s a look at their perspectives over the years.

While fans and critics continue to debate over whether or not the movie actually counts as a celebration of yuletide delight, two of its actors and two members of the shoot’s behind-the-scenes personnel have weighed in on the topic. Do the actors and crew think the movie’s a Christmas movie? Or is “Die Hard” just a film with plot elements that reference the merriest of seasons? Here’s what they’ve had to say on the topic over the years.

Director John McTiernan, known for his work on “Die Hard” and other action films, has also shared his thoughts, though his views have shifted over time. While he often provides tongue-in-cheek responses when asked about the film’s holiday status, he defers to the audience’s opinion. “It’s not for us to say, it’s people. It’s for the audience to say. If the audience decides they want to make it a Christmas movie, it’s a Christmas movie. It turns out that way. It wasn’t intended as a Christmas movie, or the fact that it was deliberately built around Christmas, but not intended to be a Christmas movie,” he commented during an appearance on The Empire Film Podcast.

He further explained that the film was produced despite its politically charged themes about war capitalism because those themes were woven into an action narrative where Christmas served as a backdrop.

John McTiernan — the director of “Die Hard” among many other action outings — has also weighed in on the topic, though his opinions have fluctuated over time. While he has admitted that he often has deliberately silly answers when this question is posed to him, he also thinks it’s not up to him to decide. “It’s not for us to say, it’s people. It’s for the audience to say. If the audience decides they want to make it a Christmas movie, it’s a Christmas movie. It turns out that way. It wasn’t intended as a Christmas movie, or the fact that it was deliberately built around Christmas, but not intended to be a Christmas movie,” he said during an appearance on The Empire Film Podcast. 

He added that the only reason “Die Hard” got made — in spite of some politically charged commentary about war capitalism in its script — is because that commentary is couched in an action movie in which Christmas is a theme.

More recently, when challenged to defend the film’s status as a holiday movie by The American Film Institute, McTiernan said in part, “we hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie.” Which seems to settle the debate permanently. Or does it?

Screwnwriter Steven E. de Souza, meanwhile, has responded to the debate with a healthy sense of humor. “Yes, because the studio rejected the Purim draft,” he said in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post. He even added the hashtag #DieHardisAChristmasMovie for good measure. 

Later, he confirmed what we suspected about the movie all along and told The Deseret News that there’s no argument to be had on the topic. “This is not my opinion. ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie,” he said. Then he recalled Joel Silver, a producer on the film, telling him that even if it failed, it would at least be a popular Christmastime rewatch in syndication. “Whether this movie is successful in movie theaters or not, we’ll always get a rerun check every Christmas because some TV station will run it. I had no idea how prophetic he was with those words,” he said. 

Though de Souza would go on to write movies like “Commando,” “Die Hard” is still a beloved part of the cultural landscape — even when it’s not December. 

Reginald VelJohnson — who played Officer Al Powell in the film — has a more laid-back approach to the question. “When I was filming the film ‘Die Hard,’ I didn’t even think about it being a Christmas movie. I knew that there was a Christmas theme that was going on in the movie but it wasn’t a major focus of the movie. And I never really realized that it was going to be a Christmas movie until the audience told me that it was,” he said to ComicBook.com.

The actor even admits that he nodded and smiled when fans asked if it was a holiday film — anything to get viewers in the theater. “When the audience said that it was a Christmas movie. I said, ‘Yes and hell yes, it’s a Christmas movie, whatever you want to do. As long as you see the movie, I’m fine with it.’” But, decades later, and with “Die Hard” firmly cemented in the cultural landscape as a yuletide flick, he has changed his tune. “I’m fine with it. They showed it every Christmas and that’s fine with me. I’m okay with it.”

Whether you watch “Die Hard” when there’s snow on the ground or you embrace the movie as a summer film — just as 20th Century Fox did when it released the movie on July 20, 1988 — it’s hard to deny that it’s one of the most important action films of the 1980s. Wrapped in tinsel and covered in bows or not.