Steven Spielberg arranged a military boot camp for his Band of Brothers actors just like he did with Saving Private Ryan and his brutal ‘Method’ tactics paid off. By the end of their training under Vietnam veteran Captain Dale Dye, the small group of actors formed a close bond like their real-life counterparts, the Easy Company’s paratroopers. However, they went through a lot of misery before Spielberg achieved what he wanted.
Band of Brothers was created by Spielberg and Tom Hanks for BBC Two, and Erik Jendresen served as the showrunner. It came three years after Spielberg and Hanks’s successful collaboration in Saving Private Ryan.
Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers Boot Camp Put Actors Through Hell
Steven Spielberg‘s story for Band of Brothers revolved around the history of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It begins with the paratrooper’s training in Atlanta, Georgia to their participation in the Western Front of World War II.
Spielberg earlier had sent his Saving Private Ryan actors to a boot camp with Captain Dale Dye and he wanted the same training for the Band of Brothers actors. When they arrived at the boot camp, they learned that they were no longer known by their civilian name and they had to live as if it was 1942. Which means no phones and no contemporary books.
Actor Rick Gomez predicted their 10-day situation at the camp upon arrival, stating on camera, “We are so f**ked” (via The Telegraph). Ron Livingston, who played Captain Lewis Nixon, made a video diary of their entire experience. He shared that they had to wear a period combat uniform, including boots that “felt like they were made out of corrugated tin”.
The actors were fatigued by the intense training. They underwent orienteering training, tactical maneuvers, firearms drills, and mock fire-fights. After spending a day in the barracks room that smelled “like feet”, Richard Speight Jr. just laid in his bed thinking, “I’m never gonna make these 10 days”.
Scott Grimes, who played Sergeant Donald Malarkey, remembered about the first night at boot camp, “Some guys cried themselves to sleep.” Actors like David Schwimmer and Neal McDonough suffered injuries during this time. However, the boot camp worked out for the movie in the end as actors formed a bond like the real-life paratroopers. Grimes recalled, “I was there for them, and they were there for me.”
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan Actors Wanted To Quit After Intense Training
While Band of Brothers actors survived the training under Captain Dale Dye, the Saving Private Ryan actors almost caused a mutiny and threatened to quit. They also had to change their entire routines, waking up at five in the morning and eating what soldiers in combat would eat. They had to undergo intense training like early morning push-ups or crawling on the ground in the rain.
Many actors came together against the boot camp and complained that they were being forced into Method acting. Captain Dye told Yahoo! that Tom Hanks had to finally step in to settle the issue. According to the Captain, he told his fellow actors:
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 actors caved in and listened to Hanks. It paid off heavily as the film is considered to be one of the greatest war films ever. Numerous directors have cited the film as an influence for filming battle scenes in war, action, and superhero films. It became the second highest grosser of 1998, collecting $482.3 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Band of Brothers is now available for streaming on Max while Saving Private Ryan is now available on Fubo.
