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The 2001-releasedBand of Brothers,an HBO miniseries, delves into the history of the Easy Company, which was part of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and played a major role on the Western Front of World War II.
![Band of Brothers [Credit: HBO]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24092941/Band-of-Brothers-Credit-HBO.jpeg)
Directed by Steven Spielberg with Tom Hanks playing a cameo and acting as an executive producer, the series is widely regarded as one of the best depictions of World War II, and the intricacies of war.
Band of Brothers [Credit: HBO]Regardless, Spielberg and Hanks then came together in 2010 to createThe Pacific,a companion piece of theBand of Brotherswhich was also well-loved for similar reasons. While the earlier series focussed on the Easy Company,The Pacific,another 10-episode HBO production, focussed on three regiments of 1st Marine Division.
In it, actor Joe Mazzello played the role of Eugene Sledge, a marine of the 5th regiment. In an HBO interview, he revealed exactly how the cast members were made to prepare for their roles. Undergoing intense physical training, the entire cast was effectively treated like an actual army regiment, in the words of the actor himself.
Joe Mazzello revealed gruelling training sessions cast ofBand of Brothershad to undertake
Well-loved for its depiction of war and the kind of intense, gruelling scenes that it featured,Band of Brotherswas such a stellar success also because of the kind of training that it provided to its cast. While plenty of stories about the same are out there,The Pacificalso followed suit, and treated its cast like actual soldiers.
“Were it not for them, we wouldn’t be speaking English”: Tom Hanks Took it as His Personal Mission to Inspire Band of Brothers Co-Stars Who Almost Started a Mutiny on Set
The sheer difficulty of these sessions has been chronicled by actor Joe Mazzello, who played the role of Eugene Sledge on the show.
In an HBO interview, he revealed: (via Task & Purpose)
We’re a bunch of actors. We get up before 11 every morning. We thought it was going to be, like, make your bed, do a little running. … but we were in the middle of a jungle carrying 40 pounds of equipment on our backs. We were digging ditches, getting screamed at.
Needless to say, while signing up for a war movie is one thing, none of the actors would have expected the kind of training that was in store for them. Of course, considering the kind of acclaim evenThe Pacificreceived, there is little doubt that the efforts of the creators did not go to waste, as it boasts of an impressive 8.3 rating on IMDB.
The Pacificwas a direct result of the successBand of Brothersreceived
Despite the fact that the two series came almost a decade apart from each other,The Pacificwas in some ways a result of the intense successBand of Brothersreceived. Its realism, the fact that it included interviews from some of the actual soldiers who were featured, meant thatSteven SpielbergandTom Hankseventually decided to come up with a companion series.
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The two, who also collaborated for 1998’s superhitSaving Private Ryan,based the 10-episode series on Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 non-fiction of the same name.Band of Brotherswas praised by critics and audience alike, and won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the best miniseries as well.
Similarly,The Pacificwas also well-met for similar reasons, and received an approval rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. The narrative apart, the kind of realism that featured in the movie meant that the creators had little choice but to treat the cast as actual soldiers, which led to some utterly gruesome training sessions for the actors.
Band of BrothersandThe Pacificare both available to be streamed on Max.
Rishabh Bhatnagar
Editor/Reviewer
Articles Published :315
Rishabh Bhatnagar is an Entertainment and pop culture journalist/editor with Fandom Wire. He has more than 6 years of experience working for multiple major platforms and is himself an avid consumer of worthwhile content. A natural storyteller, Rishabh has a unique way with words and is always looking to improve, as a storyteller, writer, and a journalist.
