“Let me take full responsibility for doing this to you.” Actor rejected from Band of Brothers for having “dead eyes” years later was apologized to by Tom Hanks

by

During the production of the critically acclaimed miniseries “Band of Brothers,” an unfortunate incident took place between Connor Ratliff and Tom Hanks. Originally cast as Major Richard “Dick” Winters, Ratliff ultimately had to leave the role for reasons that arose later on. It was said that Hanks, who served as both executive producer and director of an episode featuring Ratliff, found him to have “lifeless eyes,” which caused him to doubt Ratliff’s performance. Consequently, Ratliff was not kept in the role.

The issue at hand is that the information should have stayed confined within the circle where Hanks made the comment. Unfortunately, it leaked to Hanks instead. This event left a strong impact on Ratliff, leading him to step away from his role in the cult series. Years later, he still carried the memory with him, eventually launching the Dead Eyes podcast and, remarkably, even inviting Hanks for an appearance in episode 31.

It was during that conversation when Ratliff and Hanks discussed the regrettable event. Despite Hanks having a hazy recollection of the details, he acknowledged his role in it, expressing sincere regret and offering an apology to the actor involved.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that it was indeed my action that caused harm. Undeniably, the director role fell on me in this situation.

Hanks clarified that this incident was unwarranted and the communication from the casting department shouldn’t have been forwarded to him. He pointed out that such remarks are typically off-the-record and confidential. Furthermore, he acknowledged why Ratliff felt impacted by it, thus he offered his sincere apology without reservation.

Later on, Ratliff displayed a picture of himself from that period to Hanks. Upon seeing it, Hanks determined that the actor never had “lifeless eyes” in the first place. Although this doesn’t significantly alter the situation – as Ratliff had harbored this belief for years and eventually lost his role in Band of Brothers – at least he obtained some resolution.

Read More

2025-01-29 22:02