Steven Spielberg made all actors from Saving Private Ryan go to intense army training for the movie, well not everyone. Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, which is set against the backdrop of World War II, provides one of the most violent depictions of combat. Despite being more than 25 years old, the military epic’s emphasis on realism over romanticism and in-depth storytelling over shallow spectacle continues to have an impact on contemporary action films.
The quality of its performers further emphasized Saving Private Ryan’s timeless perspective on bravery and the horrors of war, which was already enhanced by the film’s technical features and overall production value. According to reports, Steven Spielberg carefully selected every character for the film and made sure they gave their best performances
All actors except Matt Damon were sent to an intense training camp
Steven Spielberg put his cast to a testing army boot camp to accurately depict the reality of combat in Saving Private Ryan. The boot camp was organized to make the performers’ life miserable and was led by Capt. Dale Dye, a retired 21-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. The veteran put the performers through extreme hardship for six days and nights, including calling them “turds” and forcing them to run up to five miles per day (via EW). The performers had to eat rations, including canned “beef livers with onions” that “looked like vomit,” which made the situation worse. While all the actors were put to misery, Matt Damon was asked to sit out of the Camp by Spielberg. Since the actors did not know the true intention behind the inequality, all of Damon’s co-stars including Tom Hanks started to become bitter towards him.
Recalling the time, Damon said
“They started to harbor that kernel of resentment, ’cause I wasn’t there.These guys are lying facedown in the mud, and I’m, you know, in a bubble bath in America. When I showed up on set, a lot of that resentment just translated right onto the screen.”
In the movie’s plot, the soldiers dispatched to find Private Ryan, played by Damon, are a little irate and resentful that they must risk their lives to save a random soldier, primarily because Ryan will be able to return home because his other brothers were killed. Spielberg’s choice contributed to the resentment’s realistic feeling.
How Steven Spielberg’s plan made Saving Private Ryan better
For Matt Damon’s benefit, Steven Spielberg purposefully left him out of the boot camp to make sure that the cast members expressed genuine anger towards his eponymous character Ryan. Steven Spielberg’s strategy improved and made Saving Private Ryan more credible because the characters in the film seem to be expressing real-life feelings of resentment and frustration towards Ryan. It gave Saving Private Ryan’s central story a genuine sense of conflict and tension and allowed Matt Damon to understand how lonely it might be for someone who has lost brothers in battle but yet wants to earn the respect and confidence of his colleagues.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
