Saving Private Ryan: Actor Corey Johnson on Filming the D-Day Landing

What was it like to film the D-Day landing in Saving Private Ryan, as a young actor with a small part?

Corey Johnson was booked for two weeks on Saving Private Ryan. He spent most of the first week on location in Ireland waiting to be called, eating Irish steak every night with the other actors at their bed and breakfast. When the cameras finally rolled on the landing, he watched Irish soldiers, amputee extras and machine-gun squibs turn a beach into chaos, and saw Steven Spielberg quietly ask Tom Sizemore for one more take after the one where his helmet flew off, the take Corey believes Spielberg already knew he would use.

In Episode 254, the first of two parts, Christian Taylor shares her guest appearance on the Movie Rob Minute, the podcast where Rob, an American film lover living in Israel, goes through a movie one minute at a time. For minute 131 of Saving Private Ryan, Christian brought her college friend Corey, who played a radioman in the film. The three trace how they found each other, from Christian's distributor Joe Amodei of Virgil Films back to It's a Wonderful Life and The Great Escape, then talk about the minute itself: Mike moving rocks in a ditch as the tanks close in, and Captain Miller looking up for help.

Christian talks about what nine years of working with World War II veterans on The Girl Who Wore Freedom have taught her: why so many veterans never talked about the war, why the French, Belgians and Dutch are still so grateful, and why every veteran should share their story with their family.

SPONSORED BY ARTILLERY SPORTS

This episode is brought to you by Artillery Sports, which makes durable sports equipment and uses a portion of its profits to help care for the nation's veterans. Use the code DocFirst for 10% off your first order. https://artillerysports.com

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How the Movie Rob Minute reviews a film one minute at a time
• What minute 131 of Saving Private Ryan shows, and why it works
• Why so many World War II veterans didn't talk about the war
• Why the people of France, Belgium and the Netherlands are still grateful 80 years later
• How Corey Johnson got his part in Saving Private Ryan
• What filming the D-Day landing on location in Ireland was like
• Why Steven Spielberg shot one more take for security

CHAPTERS

0:00 Why We Joined the Movie Rob Minute

4:25 Minute 131 and How We All Met

11:06 It's a Wonderful Life and a Literate Audience

14:43 Moving Rocks and a Deus Ex Machina

17:20 Why Veterans Didn't Talk

23:02 The Girl Who Wore Freedom and French Gratitude

26:17 Memorial Day and Sharing Your Story

29:33 How Corey Landed a Part in Saving Private Ryan

33:31 On Location in Ireland

38:39 Waiting to Shoot, Then Filming the Landing

43:07 Spielberg Shoots One More for Security

47:10 Seeing the Opening in 1998

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Movie Rob Minute?

The Movie Rob Minute is a podcast hosted by Rob, an American film lover who lives in Israel, that goes through a film one minute at a time with guests. Christian Taylor and actor Corey Johnson joined him for minute 131 of Saving Private Ryan, and Documentary First is airing those conversations.

Who did Corey Johnson play in Saving Private Ryan?

Corey Johnson played a radioman in Saving Private Ryan. He was cast in London for a small part and booked for two weeks on location in Ireland, where the D-Day landing was filmed. He says he got the part through luck and perseverance.

Why didn't many World War II veterans talk about the war?

Christian Taylor says veterans have given her two reasons. When they tried to talk, people's eyes glazed over, and the memories were so traumatic that repeating them was painful. She encourages veterans to share their stories with their families, because civilians often don't know what to ask but want to know.

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Corey Johnson

Actor and Documentary Narrator

Corey Johnson grew up in New Orleans, studied drama at Catholic University and in London, and has built his career in London on stage, on screen and in voiceover. His film and television work includes Saving Private Ryan, The Mummy, Hellboy, Band of Brothers and September 5, and he has narrated hundreds of documentaries, as well as the first trailer for The Girl Who Wore Freedom.

ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FIRST

Documentary First is a weekly podcast about the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom, talks with filmmakers from Ken Burns to first-time directors. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide.

THE COREY JOHNSON EPISODES

• Part 2 of this Movie Rob Minute conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnFnXJ5Ny0g
• Corey Johnson's interview with Christian, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-K2VyTmhDE
• Corey Johnson's interview with Christian, Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoc5mvMwlUw

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Saving Private Ryan (1998) on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/
• Memorial Day (2012), Rob's recommendation, with James Cromwell, about a young man whose grandfather agrees to tell him three World War II stories: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1694118/
• The Movie Rob Minute podcast, with Rob
• The Girl Who Wore Freedom, with the trailer Corey narrated: https://thegirlwhoworefreedom.com