10 Actors You Forgot Had Minor Roles In War Movies
Totally forgot Paul Giamatti was in Saving Private Ryan.
We've all had that experience where we're watching an old movie and notice a Hollywood star popping up in a teeny-weeny role. Now, the most common reason we didn't spot this actor before is because they appeared in the film before they hit the big time.
Weirdly, this tends to happen a lot in war movies. Because films set on the battlefield usually have a vast ensemble, it's easy to forget an actor or two, even if the person in question is a big name. Because features like these are filled with chaotic scenes of soldiers being shot to pieces or blown up, our brains don't have time to process who's playing who.
We all know Tom Hanks was the lead in Saving Private Ryan but forget Vin Diesel starred in the film as well. A lot of viewers spotted a pre-fame Johnny Depp in Platoon but probably don't recall Forest Whitaker standing beside him. Even though Hugo Weaving was Oscar-nominated for Hacksaw Ridge, our minds draw a blank when try to recall who he played. Whatever the reason, no one seems to have any recollection that these actors starred in war movies.
10. Adrien Brody - The Thin Red Line
Eccentric filmmaker, Terence Malick, is infamous for cutting hours of content from his work. The best example of this practice can be seen (or not seen, depending on how you look at it), in The Thin Red Line. Not only was a sizeable chunk of footage left on the cutting room floor, many cast members including Gary Oldman, Mickey Rourke, Bill Pullman, Martin Sheen, Billy Bob Thornton, and Viggo Mortensen were entirely absent from the final cut.
As unfair as this sounds, no one got it worse than Adrien Brody. Because Brody's character, Fife, only has a couple of lines in this 170-minute movie, you'll be forgiven if he doesn't ring a bell. But because Fife is the protagonist in the novel which the movie is based on and Brody had shot tons of content, he absolutely believed he was the main character!
Only while watching The Thin Red Line at the premier alongside his family did he realise he was barely in the movie. So, not only was Brody not playing the lead, most viewers have no recollection he starred in the film at all.