Tom Hanks’s Saving Private Ryan has been a topic of discussion for fans because of just how far Steven Spielberg was willing to go for the film. The movie had a lot of things that attracted the audience to see just how brutal the lives of soldiers can be. Hanks and Matt Damon were starring in the movie and the director confirmed that the entire cast was chosen with delicate thinking so as to ensure that no one was cast wrongly.
Even before the filming of the movie began, there was a lot that the cast had to do. It was nowhere near an easy task and many were even considering leaving the film because of how excruciating the entire experience was getting.
The Cast Of Saving Private Ryan Went Through Military Training
During the filming of Saving Private Ryan. Things were far from what the cast would have initially expected. Whether it was the difficult terrains they were acting in or the military training they had to take up before they even began filming for the movie. It was not easy for the cast at all since Steven Spielberg decided that the boot camp would be a necessary training that the actors would have to go through to better understand the soldiers that they were playing.
They were pushed into a boot camp with U.S. Marine Corps Captain Dale Dye. He has worked with Hollywood on previous occasions, being one of the top military consultants for the industry. The entire routine required them to wake up at five in the morning, eat meals as per soldiers would, and train accordingly. Whether it was early morning push-ups or crawling on the ground when it was heavily raining. The conditions were not the best and many actors were slowly resenting the idea of even doing the movie in the first place.
Tom Hanks Managed To Keep The Cast From Not Quitting
An uproar was caused on the set of Saving Private Ryan because the military boot camp was not the cast’s favorite. They were even contemplating quitting the movie altogether because many believed that they were being forced into method acting. It wasn’t until Tom Hanks stepped up that things started to settle a little.
“You owe it to these people you’re representing on film to get this right. And in order to get it right, you’ve got to experience some of what they experienced.”
The actor brought forward the problems of the cast to Steven Spielberg and the director gave the situation back to him, trusting Hanks to take whatever decision he sought best for the others. This might have also been an attempt to prepare him as the leader he was set to portray in the movie. In the end, everyone caved in after the actor explained just how important it was for them to understand the soldiers who risk their lives on a daily basis for the people’s protection.
Source: Slash Film
