Saving Private Ryan’s ‘humiliating’ moment was loved by Tom Hanks – but hated by others
Tom Hanks, who recently teased fans with a Toy Story 5 update, is renowned for his positive attitude towards life and work, a trait that usually endears him to his co-stars.
However, during the filming of Steven Spielberg’s 1998 war epic Saving Private Ryan – whose realism was recently rated by a military historian – the 68-year-old actor’s unwavering enthusiasm was put to the test. Spielberg had set a challenging task for the cast, which included Tom Sizemore and Vin Diesel among others, in an effort to ensure they authentically portrayed World War II soldiers, in the movie that was very nearly headlined by a different Hollywood star.
To achieve this, Spielberg sent the main cast members to boot camp under the supervision of military advisor Dale Dye. The only exception was Matt Damon, a strategic move by Spielberg to create real-life tension.
Spielberg’s rigorous training pushed the cast to their limits, to the point where they were ready to throw in the towel. However, he hadn’t anticipated just how much his stars would despise the grueling regimen.
The only one who remained committed to the demanding training was Hanks. His dedication led him to dig deeper into his character, persuading his fellow actors to persevere despite the hardships.
The 1998 movie is considered by many the greatest war movie of all time (Image: (Image: Getty))
Despite the rigorous training he underwent, Tom Hanks enthusiastically told Empire at the time: “I loved it.” Referring to his co-stars, Hanks, who portrayed Captain Miller in the film, added: “They all wanted to quit, and I said, ‘No’. The actual boot camp was very cold, and it was very miserable, and it was very humiliating. It was exhausting; we didn’t get much sleep.
“We were worried sick, and we were worried about getting hurt, but we were never worried about those being the six most worthwhile days that we could have spent,” the Forrest Gump actor further commented.
However, Ed Burns, who played Private Reiben, would beg to differ with Hanks. The 57-year-old described the boot camp as the worst experience of his career.
Still, Burns conceded: “It brought us together as a cast, which was reflected in every moment of the film.”
Hanks confessed that he wished “it had gone on a couple of weeks,” and if it had, then he probably would have been the only one left on the final day.
Following its premiere in 1998, the war film, which tells the story of a group of U.S. soldiers tasked with rescuing a man whose three brothers have all been killed in action, went on to win five Oscar awards, receive five nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, and win Best Picture and Best Director at the Critics Choice Awards. It also garnered two nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
