Show notes
What can an actor do with half a day on the Saving Private Ryan beach?Corey Johnson's part in Saving Private Ryan took half a day to film. He played the radioman in the foxhole whom Tom Hanks grabs to report that "Dog One is not open." While the camera panned away to Hanks and Tom Sizemore, two crew members pulled him out and slid in a dummy with its face blown open, so the camera could come back to the horror. Spielberg shot only a handful of takes. Later, while Corey was posing for pictures with his dummy, Spielberg had him say a line a few more ways, then turned to an assistant director: "This guy's a good actor. Can we get him in something else?"In Episode 258, the second of two parts, Christian Taylor shares the rest of her Movie Rob Minute crossover with Rob and her college friend Corey, on minute 131 of Saving Private Ryan. Corey tells stories from Band of Brothers, Ed Burns's overnight discovery at Sundance, and why a stage actor learns to protect himself on a film set. Christian ties the minute's shared stick of gum to what she has seen among World War II veterans and her own sons in the military: the bond of a tribe, and what happens when soldiers lose it, and she recommends Sebastian Junger's book Tribe.The last 20 minutes are Maestro Monday: Christian and Corey each name their top five John Williams scores, from Jaws and Jurassic Park to Schindler's List and Star Wars, and talk about the power of silence. Christian admits she would take a little music out of The Girl Who Wore Freedom if she could.SPONSORED BY ARTILLERY SPORTSThis 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.comIn this episode, you'll learn:What Corey Johnson's half day on the Saving Private Ryan set involvedHow a dummy replaced Corey in the foxhole in the middle of a shotWhat Steven Spielberg said about Corey after hearing him read a lineWhy the soldiers sharing gum in minute 131 shows a band of brothersWhy soldiers leaving the military can lose their tribeWhich John Williams scores Christian and Corey rank highestWhy Christian thinks she overscored The Girl Who Wore FreedomCHAPTERS0:00 Part 2 and a Font of Crap2:19 Corey's Half Day on the Beach7:19 "This Guy's a Good Actor"11:32 Sharing Gum and a Band of Brothers17:07 Trauma Bonding, in Combat and on Set19:53 Ed Burns, Tom Hardy and Protecting Yourself24:24 The Tank Passes, and Spielberg's Genius30:14 Maestro Monday: Harry Potter, Jaws, Superman, Jurassic Park37:03 Catch Me If You Can and Schindler's List43:03 The Power of Silence, and Star Wars48:04 Where to Find Us, and Midnight CallerFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWhat did Corey Johnson do in Saving Private Ryan?Corey Johnson played the radioman in the foxhole whom Tom Hanks grabs to report that "Dog One is not open." His part took half a day to film. While the camera panned away, crew members pulled him out and replaced him with a dummy whose face had been blown open, so the camera could return to it.What are Christian Taylor's and Corey Johnson's top five John Williams scores?Christian Taylor's top five, from five to one: Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Catch Me If You Can, Jaws and Star Wars. Corey Johnson's: Jaws, Superman, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Star Wars. Both put Star Wars at number one, and Raiders of the Lost Ark also gets an honorable mention.What is the book Tribe about?Christian Taylor recommends Sebastian Junger's Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. She says it explains why soldiers who leave the military can struggle: they lose the tribe they belonged to. Junger was embedded with the soldiers in the documentary Restrepo, which, Christian says, Joe Amodei of Virgil Films distributes.LISTEN AND FOLLOWListen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts: https://pod.fo/e/4a7fa1Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@documentaryfirstSUPPORT THE SHOWJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DocumentaryFirstCONNECT WITH DOCUMENTARY FIRSTAll platforms: https://linktr.ee/doc1stChristian Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetchristiantaylorABOUT THE GUESTCorey JohnsonActor and Documentary NarratorCorey 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, September 5 and Midnight Caller, and he has narrated hundreds of documentaries, as well as the first trailer for The Girl Who Wore Freedom.ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FIRSTDocumentary 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 EPISODESPart 1 of this Movie Rob Minute conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDDoJx1DmVwCorey Johnson's interview with Christian, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-K2VyTmhDECorey Johnson's interview with Christian, Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoc5mvMwlUwRESOURCES MENTIONEDSaving Private Ryan (1998) on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/Midnight Caller, Corey's latest film, made in 2020; he believes it's streaming on Prime Video and Apple TVTribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian JungerThe Movie Rob Minute podcast, with Rob
