Steven Spielberg said he would have wanted James Stewart in the lead role had he made Saving Private Ryan in 1951. The remark highlights Spielberg’s admiration for Stewart, whose military service and screen persona made him a natural fit for a Second World War drama.

Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, starred Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller and became one of Spielberg’s most acclaimed films. Stewart had served as a US Army Air Forces pilot during the war and later became closely associated with films including It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr Smith Goes to Washington, giving Spielberg’s hypothetical casting choice added historical resonance.