Steven Spielberg Used Controversial Acting Method for Band of Brothers

This September Band of Brothers came to Netflix, enabling new viewers to get acquainted with the cult series. The show remains highly acclaimed to this day, thanks in part to its realistic portrayal of the Western European front and its conveyance of the experiences of the soldiers. Such an effect could not have been achieved had it not been for the boot camp that the crew had to attend (vide The Telegraph).

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The documentarian of these preparations became actor Ron Livingston, who - whenever he could - took a camera with him. In the footage, he recounted that participants had to get up at six o'clock every day and run about eight kilometers. Those doing the night watch had it the worst. Two hours of sleep were then interspersed with an hour of wakefulness - and so on throughout the night. In the morning, on the other hand, one had to appear for the aforementioned run.

Gun training, orienteering and general military discipline sucked all the energy out of some of those present. Playing Donald G. Malarkey, Scott Grimes recalled that "the first night at camp, some of the boys cried themselves to sleep." The exercises also took a toll on the actors' health. David Schwimmer twisted his knee during field activities, and Neal McDonough failed to set his M1 rifle correctly on the shoulder during shooting exercises, ending up with a mouth wound and several stitches. The artist was not given painkillers - after all, soldiers could not count on them in the 1940s.

The whole experience, however, made the actors actually start to form a unit. They were ready to work together and felt responsibility for the others. Scott Grimes recalled that he was ready to sacrifice himself for the guys, just as they were for him. This was proven one of the days when everyone, in solidarity with the punished Ron Livingston, remained in plank position until the new actor assembled a rifle for himself.

The entire season of Band of Brothers can be viewed on HBO Max and Netflix.

Zbigniew Woznicki

Zbigniew Woznicki

He began his adventure with journalism and writing on the Allegro website, where he published news related to games, technology, and social media. He soon appeared on Gamepressure and Filmomaniak, writing about news related to the film industry. Despite being a huge fan of various TV series, his heart belongs to games of all kinds. He isn't afraid of any genre, and the adventure with Tibia taught him that sky and music in games are completely unnecessary. Years ago, he shared his experiences, moderating the forum of mmorpg.org.pl. Loves to complain, but of course constructively and in moderation.