"Saving Private Ryan"

Boxtop presents

August 25, 1998

Anyone who has seen "Saving Private Ryan" will not soon forget Adam Goldberg's portrayal of Private Mellish. Adam stopped by to discuss the film, what it's like to work with Steven Spielberg, and his own film "Scotch and Milk."

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Speaker: Talk City Presents™, in association with iXl Live™ welcomes you to a conversation with our special guest Adam Goldberg.

Speaker1: Welcome to Talk City, Adam! 'Saving Private Ryan' is already being hailed for multiple Oscars. What was the most difficult part of filming it for you?

AdamGoldberg: I think probably a lot of the battle sequences. They were pretty difficult to shoot, from a physical point of view. There was one sequence he wanted to shoot all in one take, just before the medic gets killed. We were all exhausted, and ended up having to re-shoot the entire sequence. The dailies showed Hanks trying to climb out of a machine gun nest and basically using his rifle as a cane. Days like that were trying!

Curious: Had you met any of the major players before? Hanks, Spielberg, Damon? What was it like working on such a lavish production with such heavy hitters?

AdamGoldberg: At first it was slightly daunting, especially working for Spielberg. I had very little concept of what to expect. Once I did meet him I found he was really approachable, and actually solicited our input and improvisation from us as we shot. It ended up being a pretty relaxed atmosphere - as much as it could be under the circumstances. I'd known Matt Damon for some time, but Hanks I hadn't met before. I'd like to work with a great many again. Giovanni Ribisi was one of my best friends, and I directed him in Scotch and Milk. I'd worked with him since Private Ryan, and before.

ErickM: Where there any WW II veterans who served as advisors on the film? How did they add to your experience?

AdamGoldberg: Not so far as I know. There weren't any on the set. Our military advisor was the technical and military advisor on the film - he's the one who put us through boot camp, and acted as advisor throughout the film. He had served in Viet Nam, and in another conflict too.

Meriwidow: Can you tell us about your experience and impressions of the "bootcamp" you went through prior to filming?

AdamGoldberg: Probably the single most trying, exhausting, demoralizing experience of my entire life. And yet also one of the most satisfying experiences I've ever had. It was moving towards the end, once we got over the physical aspect of it, and found ourselves moved by the camaraderie of the experience. I think without it. It would have been a much more abstract experience, and it helped all of us internalize at least a sense of what these guys would have gone through - as much as we could internalize something that profound.

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