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One of the greatest war movies ever made in the history of the cinema would have been robbed of one heck of a performance if it wasn’t for Robin Williams. No, although Williams wasn’t present in the movie, he had a great role in helping Matt Damon land the role of Private Ryan. Despite making an impression on the legendary director Steven Spielberg the actor failed to secure the role in the 1998 big-budget Tom Hanks movie,Saving Private Ryaninitially. Although the 1996 filmCourage Under Fire,impressed theJawsdirector and painted a clear picture in his head of what he was searching for in the person who would play the role, he rejected Damon for his skinny stature.
In an interview with GQ posted on the magazine’s YouTube channel, in 2020, theJason Bourneactor was seen breaking down some of the major moments of his career. And that is where he shared the story of how he ended up starring in a Spielberg movie next to Tom Hanks.
Also Read:Matt Damon May Never Agree to Do One Particular Movie With Ben Affleck Even If Hollywood Offers Him Millions of Dollars
Steven Spielberg Initially Rejected Matt Damon Because He Was Too Skinny forSaving Private Ryan
Cinephiles would have missed out on a phenomenal performance ifSteven Spielbergdid not end up castingMatt Damon. The actor portraying a heroine addict in the 1996 movieCourage Under Fireis what caught the director’s eye initially. Even though Spielberg was impressed, Damon losing over 40 pounds for the role is what set the director off and made him go in a different direction. In theGQinterview, theOppenheimeractor explained,
“I had put myself on tape and I had read for [Saving] Private Ryan and I hadn’t been cast. [Spielberg] met me in person and said ‘I think I know you from somewhere,’ and I said ‘Well I did this movie called Courage Under Fire,’ and he goes ‘That’s the one, you know it’s funny, I said to my wife that’s the exact type of person I want to play Private Ryan, but he’s too thin.’ Because I’d lost 40 pounds, I was playing a heroin addict in Courage Under Fire. And so it was only because Robin introduced me to him that he went ‘Oh OK, no you’re the kind of guy I’m looking for for that job.'”
ButRobin Williamsproperly introducing the two later on finally set the wheels in motion. Damon therefore clinched the role by shedding hisCourage Under Firefigure, and the rest is history.
Also Read:Sandra Bullock To Tom Hanks: 10 Hollywood Oscar Winners Who Have Bagged Razzie Awards That Left Fans Stunned
How Robin Williams Helped Matt Damon Get the Role
Matt Damon claimed Robin Williams is partly responsible for the success he is experiencing today. Although it was a grueling process, the actor is grateful he got the opportunity to star inSaving Private Ryanat such an early stage of his career. While working onGood Will Hunting,Robin Williams decided that the two very talented best friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon should meet his long-time friend Spielberg, and thus set up a meeting.TheMartianactor in that same GQ interview stated,
“Robin took Ben and me to meet Steven [Spielberg] because he knew it was never a bad thing to meet the greatest filmmaker of all time and how much we’d appreciate that.”
Het then further added,
“So Robin not only got our dream in Good Will Hunting made he actually got me the role in Saving Private Ryan as well.”
Williams thus has been an integral part of the actor’s career from the very beginning and the actor indeed owes a lot of him. Thus although Damon has had one illustrious career,Saving Private Ryan,will always be special to him.
Also Read:“Nobody gives a sh*t about that”: Matt Damon Was Happy To Be Insulted After Whining Too Much About His Role in $653M Film
Saving Private Ryanis available on Prime Video to stream.
Sampurna Banerjee
Articles Published :1806
Sampurna Banerjee is an Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, and she’s written over 1,700 articles! She covers everything from celebrity news to the latest superhero buzz, streaming shows, and fan theories. If it’s trending in pop culture, Sampurna’s probably already on it.When she’s not working, you’ll probably find her rewatching The Office (again), getting into debates about Marvel’s timeline, or diving deep into Christopher Nolan movies for the hundredth time. She’s not just writing about entertainment, she’s living it.
