When casting Saving Private Ryan , Steven Spielberg absolutely wanted the role of Private Ryan to be played by an actor unknown to the general public.
For him, this is a crucial point. Because if the role is entrusted to a star, spectators will know from the start of the film that Private Ryan is not dead and that he will soon make his appearance. Which would spoil the suspense.
Spielberg therefore chose Matt Damon, a promising young actor, but at the time completely unknown to the general public.
The problem is that before filming Private Ryan , Matt Damon had filmed a little film with his friend Ben Affleck. A film called Good Will Hunting … Which was released before Private Ryan , became a big success and even gave Matt Damon an Oscar (for best screenplay).
When Spielberg’s film finally sees the light of day, Matt Damon is no longer an anonymous person, he is a star…
No chance !
In the end, fortunately, this will have no impact on the success of Private Ryan and the suspense of the film will not be altered either.