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Hanks earned best actor Oscar nomination for his role of Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan.
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During preproduction, Spielberg sent several of the castmembers to a "boot camp" program to learn to realistically portray soldiers. Damon was intentionally left out so the other actors would resent him in his role as Private Ryan.
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Diesel has a brief but tragic role in the film as Private Caparzo, who is shot and killed during a rainy skirmish while clutching a letter to his father.
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In Saving Private Ryan, Davies plays the timid Corporal Upham, an interpreter brought along on the mission for his language skills.
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As the wisecracking, Jewish Private Mellish in Saving Private Ryan, he brandishes his Star of David at captured German soldiers and educates Corporal Upham in the acronym FUBAR.
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Saving Private Ryan was the first movie in which Burns acted that he did not direct.
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The role of Private Jackson in Saving Private Ryan was a breakthrough for Pepper. Before the film, he worked mostly in television.
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Fillion appears briefly in Saving Private Ryan as another Private James Ryan — not the one Miller and company are looking for.
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