Matt Damon Finally Explains the Tension on the Saving Private Ryan Set

Matt Damon recently opened up about the unconventional path that led to his role in the war masterpiece Saving Private Ryan. Speaking with GQ, the actor shared that his casting was actually a favor from the late Robin Williams, who introduced him to Steven Spielberg while the director was in Boston filming another project.

Williams believed that it was never bad to meet the greatest filmmaker of all time, and that chance meeting proved life-changing for the young actor. Interestingly, Spielberg had already noticed Damon in a different role before they met in person.

When the director saw Damon in Courage Under Fire, he felt that he had finally found the perfect person to play Private Ryan, though he initially worried the actor was too thin because he was playing a heroin addict at the time. Once Damon was officially cast, Spielberg used a clever psychological tactic to create real tension on the set.

While the rest of the cast underwent a grueling boot camp to bond as a unit, Damon was intentionally left out of the training. Spielberg wanted the other actors to resent him, creating a natural feeling of frustration toward the man they were supposed to be risking their lives to rescue.

Damon recalled that his only job during the training period was to do absolutely nothing, a move that fueled the heavy, stone-faced atmosphere in some of the film’s most intense scenes.

Even without the shared training, the on-screen chemistry between the cast was legendary, with Tom Hanks leading the search as Captain Miller. Damon noted that while he wasn’t as close to his co-stars during filming, the distance fed into the power of the performances.

The result was one of the most graphic and intriguing portrayals of World War II ever put to film, as Damon had to face the cold reality of his character’s situation through the eyes of his fellow actors.

As of February, Matt Damon is continuing his streak of major Hollywood successes with a brand new hit on Netflix. He recently reunited with Ben Affleck for the crime thriller The Rip, which premiered on January 16 and has already broken streaming records for the year.

The film, directed by Joe Carnahan, follows a group of Miami police officers whose trust in one another begins to crumble after they discover a massive stash of drug money. Damon is also preparing for what many are calling the biggest film of the year, Christopher Nolan’s epic fantasy The Odyssey.

Scheduled for release on July 17, the film features Damon in the leading role of Odysseus, a legendary king struggling to find his way home after the Trojan War. The movie features a massive ensemble cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Zendaya, and it is the first film in history to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras.

Between his chart-topping thrillers and his upcoming turn as a Greek hero, Damon remains one of the most influential figures in the film industry. He and Affleck continue to grow their production company, Artists Equity, which has been praised for creating new bonus structures that benefit film crews.

Do you think Steven Spielberg’s decision to keep Matt Damon away from the rest of the cast was a brilliant directing move or just an unnecessarily harsh way to treat an actor? Share your thoughts in the comments.