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The late Tom Sizemore, movie star such as “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Killers Natural Born,” “Heat,” “Strange Days,” and “The Relic,” died on March 3, 2023at the age of 61. He suffered brain spread. Sizemore faced battles throughout his life and had been charged with many actions of serious wrongdoing. In particular, Sizemore always struggled with reliance on substances, an issue he suffered since he was a teenager. He was in trouble with the law repeatedly because of his addiction, facing possession arrests throughout his life. He was also charged several times of domestic abuse and faced legal consequences several times. In 2013, Robert De Niro, a friend, checked him personally to rehab.
Sizemore drug problems were already an open Hollywood secret in 1997 when Steven Spielberg was doing His famous war photo “Save Ryan Private.” In that film, Sizemore was cast as Mike Horvath, one member of the World War II troops who were sent into a particularly dangerous area in Germany to save the private title (Matt Damon). Horvath was a torture character, obviously pushed himself too far on the battlefield, but failed to recognize that I could be burned out. It gives very good performance.
Spielberg acknowledged Sizemore talent and trusted he would be able to stay clean for the film’s 58 -day shooting. Spielberg knew that Sizemore’s previous addiction was a potential liability that needed to be addressed. In Interview in 2010 with the Daily BeastSizemore revealed that Spielberg once gave him an ultimatum: Sizemore would be subject to daily drug tests at Spielberg’s request. If he failed just one of them, then Spielberg would re -draw the entire film without it. That was enough motivation to keep Sizemore on the straight and narrow.
If Tom Sizemore had failed a drug test, Spielberg would immediately fire
Sizemore remembered the daily drug tests on the set of “Private Ryan” and the rule he had to follow. He also knew that when he gave the interview, he would not need such ultimatum, trying to remain optimistic. Sizemore said:
“(Spielberg) would fire me on the spot and shoot all of the 58 days I had worked for them again with someone else. (…) I wouldn’t need that kind of threat now.”
The fact that Sizemore seems to be “Saving Private Ryan” is a testament to his sobriety at the time. He took the drug tests and remained sober for the 58 full days. Sizemore rejected a role in WWII Terrence Malick Photo “The Thin Red Line” To work on “Save Ryan Private,” and Malick may not have made a similar ultimatum. Either way, Sizemore would have made the right decision; “Thin Red Line” and “Saving Private Ryan” were nominated for the best picture in the Academy Awards that year.
Unfortunately, Sizemore was unable to retain its sobriety, eventually facing multiple drug -related arrests throughout the 2000s. He failed to repeatedly tested drug tests while on trial following the arrest of domestic abuse in 2003, and was arrested again in 2007 for meth’s possession. It was not until about 2010 that Sizemore would check into rehabilitation with De Niro by its side. His sobriety was still abusive scandals, and he would be arrested again in 2019 on additional drug payments.
Through all this, Sizemore continued to work and was so busy, appearing in four films after his death. He made only 10 features in 2022, mainly genre films and low budget crime. It’s a shame he couldn’t stay on the right path.
