“Exactly the guy I wanted”: “Saving Private Ryan” maker Steven Spielberg discovered Matt Damon in another war film – Cinema News

“Good Will Hunting” is an important film in Matt Damon’s career. But another role of the Hollywood star is often overlooked, even though it earned him an important part with Steven Spielberg.

Matt Damon has long been a fixture in Hollywood. But this status is no coincidence. Instead of waiting for the right role, Damon took his fate into his own hands: together with his best friend Ben Affleck, he wrote the screenplay for “Good Will Hunting” (1997). The two received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this work and, despite numerous hurdles and difficulties, made their big breakthrough in Hollywood. Damon also played the title role and impressively demonstrated his acting talent.

But whoever believes that “Good Will Hunting” will give him the role in Steven Spielberg’s War drama “The soldier James Ryan“ (1998) is wrong. In an interview with GQ Matt Damon revealed that Spielberg cast him in the war epic because of his performance in another military drama: “Courage to tell the truth“ (1996). Damon says:

“I auditioned for Private Ryan but was not cast. He [Spielberg, Anm. d. Red.] said, ‘I think I know you from somewhere.’ I said, ‘Well, I was in this movie called ‘Courage to Tell the Truth,’ and he said, ‘That’s the movie. I actually said that guy was exactly the guy I wanted to play Private Ryan, but he was too thin.'”

Despite concerns about his stature (which he only acquired for the film anyway), he eventually got the role of James Ryan. In Saving Private Ryan, Damon plays the last survivor of four brothers, who is being searched for by a group of soldiers behind enemy lines, led by Tom Hanks. In 1999, the film won five Oscars, including the one for Best Director. You can buy the title on DVD, BD or VoD from Amazon, among others.*

But why did “The Courage to Tell the Truth” convince Spielberg so much? A look at the film and Damon’s role provides the answer.

This is “courage to tell the truth”

“Courage Under Fire” is a war drama directed by “Last Samurai” director Edward Zwick. The story revolves around Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington, “Gladiator 2”), who investigates whether Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan, “EM@il for You”) should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

During the Second Gulf War, Walden led a rescue mission, but the surviving soldiers’ accounts constantly contradict each other. Serling must not only discover the truth about Walden, but also confront his own mistakes. At the core of the film is the ambivalence between honor and war and how subjective perception can distort the truth.

“Courage to Tell the Truth” on Amazon*

In The Courage to Tell the Truth, Matt Damon plays Private Ilario, a medic who worked closely with Walden and is an important piece of the puzzle in determining whether she was a hero. Although his role is small, Damon’s scenes with Denzel Washington are impressive and emotionally intense.

However, Damon fans will have to accept that their star looks very emaciated here. His role of Ilario is that of a damaged character, almost like a junkie, who gives his side of events. This fits with the theme of the film, which deals with post-traumatic stress disorder – similar to “Rambo” (1982) or “The Deer Hunter” (1978).

It was perhaps this combination of vulnerability and militarism that appealed to Spielberg, and after Damon put on a few extra pounds (or did he put on weight?), he also physically suited the role of missing private James Ryan.

“Courage to face the truth” was supposed to help Meg Ryan

“Courage to Tell the Truth” did not leave a lasting impression in film history. Originally, the film was not intended to promote Matt Damon’s career, but Meg Ryan’s. She wanted to break away from her image as “everybody’s darling”which she had achieved through romantic successes such as When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993).

With a budget of 50 million US dollars, the film grossed 100 million US dollars – not a mistake, but not a great success either. Ryan then returned to romantic films until she tried to change her image again in 2003 with “In the Cut”, which failed.

If you want to know which improvisation by Matt Damon Spielberg left in the film, even though he wasn’t at all impressed by it, then read on in the following article:

“Neither profound nor insightful”: Steven Spielberg thought little of Matt Damon’s “Saving Private Ryan” improvisation – but still left it in the film

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