Line (1998) when Spielberg offered him an alternative role as Horvath, Miller's friend and confidant. The actor had a history of drug addiction, and Spielberg mandated that he pass regular drug tests to keep his part, or the role would be recast and his scenes re-shot. Describing his character, Sizemore said, "he was a quiet man; he was taciturn; he followed orders, and he loved the captain... if he had a tragic flaw, it was that he didn't know when he had had enough, when it was time to say, 'I can't do this anymore.'" Diesel was cast after Spielberg saw his self-starring directorial efforts, Multi-Facial (1995) and Strays (1997). The actor was working as a telemarketer at the time, having struggled to secure acting jobs. Goldberg's role did not exist in the script until his casting. Spielberg wanted a relatively unknown actor to portray private Ryan. Spielberg visited the set of Good Will Hunting (1997), and Robin Williams introduced him to Damon. Spielberg cast him shortly after, believing he possessed a "great American everyboy look," unaware that Good Will Huntings success would significantly raise Damon's profile. Neil Patrick Harris was considered for the role, and Edward Norton turned it down for American History X (1998). Pete Postlethwaite, Tony Shalhoub, and Garth Brooks were considered for unspecified roles. At Hanks's and Dye's suggestion, Spielberg had the principal cast take part in a six-day boot camp, wanting them to experience cold, wet, and exhaustive conditions, like those of WWII soldiers. Overseen by Dye and retired U.S. marines, the actors remained in character while simulating attacks, performing five-mile runs with full backpacks, weapons training, military exercises, and push-ups after making mistakes, on three hours of sleep per night in cold and rainy conditions. The men wanted to quit, but Hanks conviced them otherwise, saying they would regret not following through and the experience would help them understand their characters and motivations. Diesel said, "at that moment we got this huge respect for him in real life, we were all exhausted, we all wanted to leave and here was this guy who was a superstar, who doesn't have to be here, voting to stay." Dye was present throughout filming to remind the actors of their training. Spielberg kept Damon out of the boot camp, because he wanted the other actors to resent him and his character. Pre-production The pre-production for Saving Private Ryan