Steven Spielberg Almost Cast Harrison Ford in His $482M Movie That Unfairly Lost Best Picture Award to Ben Affleck’s Movie

Steven Spielberg has successfully made it into the list of iconic filmmakers of the new Hollywood era and we know why. After working in the TV industry for a while, he ventured into films which was where his real craft was explored. By becoming a household name with 1975’s Jaws, he got his hands on some big commercial projects like the original Indiana Jones trilogy and Jurassic Park.

American filmmaker, Steven Spielberg

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His Schindler’s List is one of the epic masterpieces with the other being his 1998 war film, Saving Private Ryan. Given that the epic war film made quite headlines at the time especially due to Tom Hanks’s iconic performance, he was not the only actor considered for the role.

Harrison Ford Was Considered For Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan

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While we can’t imagine anyone else but Tom Hanks giving the iconic performance of Captain John Miller in Steven Spielberg‘s epic war film, Saving Private Ryan, there were many popular names associated with it.

The list also includes Indiana Jones star, Harrison Ford, who is widely considered an American cultural icon. He was being considered along with Mel Gibson for the leading role before it eventually got into the former’s hands.

Set during World War II, it revolves around a commander who survives D-Day and then he must locate a soldier from the 101st Airborne Division. The team put in much effort to make it as grounded as possible. They even explored the lives of soldiers who ultimately fought together in the Battle of Ramelle to understand the depth of their characters.

However, it was unable to win the Best Picture Oscars which was one of the biggest upsets in history, as it lost to Ben Affleck’s Shakespeare in Love.

Shakespeare in Love Snubbed Best Picture Oscar from Saving Private Ryan

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Many showed their disappointment when Ben Affleck led Shakespeare in Love snubbed the Best Picture Award at the Oscars from Hanks’s film.

The rom-com film bagged major awards of the night which included the Best Picture win, however, it also brought the film much criticism. Many pointed out that producers from Miramax were “overly aggressive campaigning” its film which led to this snub.

Miramax was originally founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The disgraced producer had quite an influence in the entertainment industry back then, which was much more than efficient to sway the judges into whatever he wanted at the time. While he ran an aggressive campaign for his film, Spielberg remained neutral about his project which ultimately favored the former.

Source: Mirror UK