The Pitt's Noah Wyle Had A Small Role In The Best Courtroom Drama Of The '90s

There's a scene in Rob Reiner's 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men" wherein a young corporal named Jeffrey Owen Barnes is called to the stand to testify. For those who haven't seen the movie, the case involves the court-martial of two Marines who stand accused of tying up, beating, and ultimately killing a fellow officer. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is their defense lawyer, while Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon) is the prosecutor. 

Barnes is played by a recognizable 20-year-old Noah Wyle, currently burning up HBO Max on the hit medical drama "The Pitt." "A Few Good Men" was only Wyle's third film role; he previously appeared in the forgotten studio drama "Crooked Hearts" and Paul Bartel's cult Western "Lust in the Dust." (He was also in the crime miniseries "Blind Faith" in 1990.) "A Few Good Men" was a plum role for an up-and-coming actor, as he got to appear in a film with heavy-hitters like Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, and also Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kiefer Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jack Nicholson. 

Wyle's scene involves his description of how Marines tend to motivate one another when it comes to abuse. He talks about how he dropped his gun once, and other Marines beat him up and poured glue on his hands as punishment. It's not a huge role, but it's vital in communicating to the audience the culture of abuse Kaffee is uncovering. 

In 2018, Wyle appeared on "The Rich Eisen Show" and talked about what an honor it was to work on "A Few Good Men," but also that his haircut for the movie caused his friends on the basketball court to treat him a little differently. 

One of the clearest things Wyle remembers from the set of "A Few Good Men" was his haircut. He said that he had never shaved his head prior to 1991 when he shot the film, and that it got a surprising reaction during basketball games: 

"I was playing a lot of pickup basketball at Poinsettia Park in Hollywood, and I remember when I shaved my head, everybody treated me differently during the pickup game. Everybody used to beat the hell out of me in that game. Suddenly I show up with this high-and-tight Marine cut, and no one would come anywhere near me!" 

Wyle, when talking about his experiences on the movie, understood that he was acting opposite some of the most impressive actors and/or largest movie stars of their respective generations. He knew he was just a supporting player, saying, "I was just happy to be in the club. I was just there." 

Wyle didn't have scenes with Jack Nicholson, but he did get to meet Nicholson during the film's table read, and he did have an anecdote on the matter, recalling that the read-through began casually, but changed when Nicholson jumped in. Wyle said: 

"I remember the table read [...] There was the [casual] energy as it began. And as soon as Jack Nicholson began to read his part, he gave the performance that he gave in the movie that day. And as soon as he spoke, it was like everyone thought, 'Oh! We're really doing this!' [...] I remember thinking at 20 years old, 'This is what pro-ball feels like.'" 

He'd been around a little bit, but for Wyle, "A Few Good Men" was like being on an all-star team.