How Steven Spielberg’s casting tricks for ‘Saving Private Ryan’ caused tension: “They resented this guy”
Steven Spielberg developed an early fascination with World War II after hearing stories from his parents about their experiences, which fuelled his deep interest in the lives of soldiers and his commitment to authentically portraying their realities on screen. This passion culminated in his 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, where Spielberg sought to create an unflinching and harrowing depiction of war, avoiding any glorification of the terror and suffering endured by the soldiers.
The movie has been praised for its relentless opening sequence and unique shooting style in order to create a realistic view of the conflict. However, throughout the shoot, there was another technique used by the director to isolate one cast member from the others and exaggerate one of films storylines.
With a cast including Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Vin Diesel and Matt Damon, it is unsurprising that it is one of the most celebrated from Spielberg’s filmography, with an ensemble cast that are starkly committed to honesty in their telling of this story. However, there was one actor whose involvement in the project arose in a less conventional way, with Damon being introduced to Spielberg through Robin Williams while shooting in Boston.
The director was nearby and working on Amistad, deciding to drop in and pay a visit to Williams while shooting Good Will Hunting. After talking about his previous work, Spielberg revealed to Damon that he was looking for someone to play the role of Private Ryan, and he was soon cast in the project.
However, the training required for the actors to prepare for the role was extensive, and many of them went to intensive boot camps in preparation for the production. However, due to the nature of Damon’s role in the film, the director wanted to play on the tensions between his character and chose to isolate him from the cast and attend another boot camp.
When discussing this, Damon said, “Spielberg made me not go to boot camp so that the other guys would resent me. They all went through this experience, and they all bonded, but because I was the character they were looking for, and they resented this guy that they were risking their lives to go find, Steven purposefully kept me away from them”.
While the decision may seem cruel and somewhat isolating for Damon, the actor admitted that it led to some of the most effective scenes in the film, with the bubbling resentment adding to the drama as the men try to find Private Ryan, reflecting the ‘Sole Survivor Policy’ created by the US government. Spielberg did not want to create a Hollywood feeling war drama that was sanitised and safe, and by using this tactic, he added to the stakes of the story and created an immersive added layer of tension. Despite not being fully appreciated by a young Matt Damon at the time, it eventually paid off and led to one of the most celebrated films of this genre.
