Steven Spielberg did not want 'nice guy' Tom Hanks to shoot people in 'Saving Private Ryan'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Hanks is considered one of the greatest Hollywood actors of all time while Steven Spielberg is considered one of the greatest directors. When these two collaborated, people across the world were treated to some of the biggest hits, including 'Catch Me If You Can', 'Bridge of Spies' and 'The Post', as well as the unforgettable 'Saving Private Ryan'.
'Saving Private Ryan' was a hit, but behind the scenes Hanks and Spielberg sparred on various issues. In a New York Times interview, Hanks stated that Spielberg had reservations about having his character, John Miller, kill Germans.
'I don't think I want to see John Miller fire his gun'
In a conversation with NYT, Hanks said, "On Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg said, ‘I don’t think I want to see John Miller fire his gun and kill Germans.’ I told him, ‘I’m sorry, Steven. You’re not going to get me all the way over here and turn me into some other guy just because you don’t want Tom Hanks to kill soldiers." Spielberg was concerned about ruining Hanks' "nice guy" persona.
Hanks faced a similar situation during the shooting of 'Forrest Gump'. Director Robert Zemeckis was unhappy with Hanks' character's choice to shoot at the Vietcong during the Vietnam War sequences. Hanks, however, said that the character's military training and skills would be compromised without these sequences, and that he believed emphasizing on the soldier's expertise was necessary for a realistic representation.
Hanks reportedly said, "There’s the scene with the ambush in Vietnam, and Bob Zemeckis originally wanted Forrest to be confused and run away. I said, ‘Bob, why am I playing a soldier who is really good at his basic training without then showing me slapping in my clip and firing a set of rounds?’”
'Those kinds of choices are in every movie'
Hanks is known for realistically portraying characters on screen, irrespective of the director. On 'Charlie Wilson's War', he had an issue with the director, Mike Nichols, over a scene where his character does cocaine, concerned Charlie Wilson's significance would be watered down. However, the actor later defended the scene, stating, “It was never in the script to show Charlie Wilson snorting coke. I would have done it. I didn’t care. Those kinds of choices are in every single movie.”