In the 1996 weather disaster movie,Twister, Bill Harding was referred to as “The Extreme” for one surprising act. With a cast led by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt,Twisterfollows a group of storm-chasers who are conducting research that will help them detect when a tornado is coming. When the film premiered,Twisterreceived mostly positive reviewsfrom critics and becamethe second-highest-grossing film of 1996, earning $495 million at the box office(viaBox Office Mojo).
The cult classic was so popular that asequel titledTwisterswas released 28 years later after the original movie premiered.Twisterwas considered groundbreaking at the time of its release,earning the film nominations for Best Sound and Best Effects at the 1997 Academy Awards. The summer blockbuster featured an ensemble of characters whose camaraderie contributed to why, even to this day,Twisteris considered one of the best movies made in the 1990s. Obviously, a big part of its reputation can be attributed to Bill Paxton’s character, given that he was the male lead of the film.
Billy Is Know As “The Extreme” By All His Friends And His Ex-Wife
Billy Did Some Wild Things When He Was A Storm-chaser
On the surface, Billy seems like a quiet guy, who rarely - if ever - does anything out of the ordinary. However, there’s more to the storm-chaser turned-weatherman than meets the eye. During his storm chasing days, Billy was referred to as the human barometer due to his sixth sense that could help him predict the direction of a twister. His friends and ex-wife also referred to him as “The Extreme,”in reference to a wild thing he did when he was still chasing tornadoes.
What Bill Paxton Didn’t Like About 1996’s Twister
The star of the original disaster epic Twister had a specific criticism for Jan de Bont’s beloved box office blockbuster, and it’s pretty unexpected.
When Melissa, Billy’s fiancée, and Billy turn up at a storm-chasing site where his ex-wife, Jo, and friends are camped, Dusty affectionately calls him “The Extreme.” Melissa’s surprised look when she heard the nickname clearly indicated that Billy hadn’t explained why he was known as that. The fact that Billy seemed to not like being called “The Extreme”showed that there was an interesting incident that led to his friends giving him the nickname.
Billy Is Called “The Extreme” Because Of A Naked Interaction With A Tornado
Billy’s Lack Of Fear Earned Him The Nickname
The hysterical reason behind why Billy has this nickname is revealed when Melissa asks the storm-chasers what her fiancée did to earn the nickname. During one of the days when the team was chasing a tornado,Billy showed up at the spot naked and inebriated with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in his hands. Despite Jo’s warning, Billy ran straight to the twister and threw the Jack Daniels bottle at it. His extreme behavior in the face of danger and lack of fear earned him the nickname. Billy’s stubbornness and boldness contributed to why he was a great storm-chaser and one of the best characters inTwister.
Twister
Cast
In Twister, Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes. Jo’s childhood was stricken by the trauma of losing her father to a deadly F5 tornado, setting her on the path of a storm chaser. Having developed a new technology with her team named “Dorothy,” Jo seeks to make Tornadoes more predictable to give people a chance to make it to safety. Jo’s obsession created a rift between her husband, but new breakthroughs may bring them back together as the two pursue their greatest challenge yet - an incoming system that will produce yet another F5.
