Movies - TV
Steven Spielberg Changed Vin Diesel's Life With Saving Private Ryan
By SANDY SCHAEFER
Vin Diesel boasts massive successes including “The Iron Giant”, “Pitch Black”, and of course, the “Fast and the Furious” franchise. However, what truly turned his life around was his small, yet pivotal role in Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.”
Being a struggling actor and making ends meet as a telemarketer, Diesel never expected Spielberg to contact him in 1997, let alone be told that Spielberg was a fan of his work. After being cast as Private Caparzo in “Saving Private Ryan," Diesel’s career soared like never before.
As a fan of Diesel’s earlier directorial work such as “Multi-Facial,” Spielberg also expressed his desire for Diesel to “get back in the directing chair.” He told Diesel how his directing abilities were among Spielberg’s main motivations behind casting him in “Saving Private Ryan.”