For as long as anyone can remember, the name Steven Spielberg has been synonymous with cinematic success. For Spielberg, his entertainment career started when he made a little-known short film in 1968 called Amblin. Today, it is more recognized as the name of Spielberg’s very own production company.

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Over the years, Amblin Entertainment has been behind critically acclaimed films such as The Help, Up in the Air, Dreamgirls, Match Point, The Stepford Wives, and Letters from Iwo Jima. Aside from this, Spielberg also directed several box office hits. And here’s what actors have said about working on his film sets:

10 Jaws: Spielberg Himself Called Roy Scheider About The Role Of Chief Brody

Jaws

While speaking with HuffPost, the late actor recalled, “I got a call from Steven Spielberg and he thought it was a good idea to have a city type of guy put into that ocean community. And he had seen The French Connection and remembered my performance and thought that would be the kind of guy he wanted to put into Amity.”

It also turns out that the actor had no idea that there were other actors vying for the role of Martin Brody. According to reports, the role was even offered to Robert Duvall at one point.

9 The Color Purple: Spielberg Told Oprah Winfrey That She Could Lose Her Part If She Lost Weight

The Color Purple

At first, it didn’t look like Winfrey would get the part and she even thought it was because of her weight. And so, she went on a health retreat. But then, she got an unexpected call from Spielberg.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Winfrey recalled, “He says, ‘I’d like to see you in my office in California and if you lose a pound you could lose this part.' I packed my bags. I stopped at the Dairy Queen: Three scoops just in case I lost half a pound. Next day, I was in Spielberg’s office and he said, you’re hired.’”

8 Schindler’s List: Liam Neeson Felt Like A ‘Puppet’ While Being Directed By Spielberg

Schindler’s List

While speaking with Ryan Tubridy on Late Late Show, the veteran actor recalled his time on the set saying, “There were times — there’s a shot there of me with a cigarette, and I was a smoker at the time — he’d be telling me when to smoke, he’d be telling me when to breathe, and I remember thinking ‘I can’t handle this, I’m not a puppet.”

Neeson later added, “So I’m not happy with my performance, even though I think the film is masterful.” Neeson had received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film.

7 Jurassic Park: Ariana Richards Got Cast After Her Screaming Woke Up Spielberg’s Wife

Jurassic Park

“I was called into a casting office, and they just wanted me to scream,” Richards recalled while speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “I heard later on that Steven had watched a few girls on tape that day, and I was the only one who ended up waking his sleeping wife off the couch, and she came running through the hallway to see if the kids were all right.”

Richards was eventually cast as Alexis “Lex” Murphy, the granddaughter of Richard Attenborough’s John Hammond. Richards also reprised her role in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

6 Saving Private Ryan: Only Tom Hanks Knew That Spielberg Was Putting Them Through Rigorous Training

Saving Private Ryan
via google

Hanks knew how intense the training was going to be because he’d already trained with Marine drill sergeant Dale Dye while working on Forrest Gump. “I went in knowing that it would be a full-blown experience and Dye was not going to compromise for a moment,” Hanks told RogerEbert.com.

“By the time the third day came around, it was cold and miserable and people began to get sick and they just didn't understand how getting yelled at by this gray-haired guy was going to make them better actors.” The film received 11 Oscar nominations and five wins.

5 Minority Report: Tom Cruise The Film’s To Spielberg So They Can Finally Work Together

Minority Report

While speaking with CNN, Cruise revealed, “You know, Steven likes to say, I'm a director; I'm a director for hire. But you know, when you're going to send something to Steven [it gives you pause]. I've been wanting to work with him -- who doesn't want to work with Steven Spielberg? -- and so I sent it to him.”

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Minority Report is based on a short story written by Philip K. Dick and initially, Cruise thought Spielberg wouldn’t go for it. But then, Cruise said, “And then he called and said, ‘Yes, I want to do this.’"

4 Catch Me If You Can: Spielberg Asked Leonardo DiCaprio If He Could Direct The Film

Catch Me If You Can

As it turns out, DiCaprio had already been attached to the film long before Spielberg even came along. Moreover, the actor also never thought that Spielberg would be interested to get involved. Luckily, he was.

While speaking with Hollywood.com, DiCaprio recalled, “They asked me to compile a list, and I never even put Steven on that list. I never thought it would be a movie he would be interested in. But Dreamworks got it to him, he read it and called me up and said, ‘Hey, is there a director involved? I’m interested in this project.’”

3 The Terminal: Catherine Zeta-Jones Took The Spill Herself But They Had A Double To Do It Too

The Terminal

In the film, Zeta-Jones' character has a meet-cute with Hanks’ character after slipping on a newly mopped floor. While speaking with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the actress explained that she took the spill herself a few times.

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However, she added, “And then, we had to get someone in who really wanted to break their coccyx bone and would actually get paid to break their coccyx bone.” The actress also revealed that she agreed to star in the film after receiving a phone call from Spielberg instead. At that time, Hanks was also attached to the film.

2 Munich: Eric Bana Said It Was ‘Really Hard’ For Spielberg To Shoot Some Scenes

Munich

The film is based on the events following the brutal massacre and hostage of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Summer Olympics. While making the movie, Bana, who played the film’s lead character, admitted that shooting scenes sometimes proved challenging to everyone.

The actor told IGN, “I mean there were a lot of moments on set that we found difficult, there's no doubt, but we all knew that it was important for his vision. And it was difficult for him too - a lot of this stuff was really hard for him to shoot.”

1 War Horse: Jeremy Irvine Said Spielberg Used The ‘Best Trained Horses In The World’

War Horse

Despite this, however, Irvine said that “accidents” still occurred on the set. The actor told Vogue, “Steven used the best trained horses in the world, but of course, there are always going to be accidents with them - every time I did an emotional, close-up scene he would fart.”

Prior to working on War Horse, Irvine admitted that he’s never worked with horses before. He also has minimal experience with animals, at best. Irvine admitted, “I’m not really an animal person.” War Horse went on to secure six Academy Award nominations.

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