Hollywood actor Noah Wyle has revealed that his commitment to the long-running medical drama series ER prevented him from taking roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan.
Wyle made his acting debut in 1984 with Lust in the Dust, but it was his portrayal of medical student John Carter in the hit NBC series ER that proved to be his breakthrough role.
“Yeah, tons... We talked about a couple of them, actually. ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ George (Clooney) offered me a part in that. I couldn’t get out of ‘ER’ to do it. I was offered the part of Private Ryan in ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ couldn’t get out of ‘ER’ to do it,” he said on the Still Here Hollywood podcast.
Released in 1998, Saving Private Ryan follows Captain John Miller, who is tasked with finding Private James Ryan after Ryan's three brothers are killed in the war. The film starred Matt Damon as Private Ryan.
Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by and starring George Clooney, was released in 2005.
Despite missing the roles, Wyle said he has no regrets, believing the actors who eventually played them were the right fit.
“I almost am glad that I didn’t do them, because, you know, those guys made those parts...Matt Damon was Private Ryan. There were two. I got offered the part of 'Upham', which was Jeremy Davies’ part, and he was so phenomenal in that I couldn’t imagine doing anything close to what he did,” he added.
Wyle currently stars in HBO's drama series The Pitt. He won an Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch.