The late Tom Sizemore, film star like “Born on July 4”, “Natural Born Killers”, “Heat”, “Strange Days” and “The Relic”, died on March 3, 2023, at the age of 61. He suffered a brain aneurysm. Sizemore faced difficulties throughout his life and had been accused of many acts of serious reprehensible acts. More specifically, Sizemore has always fought with drug addiction, a problem he has endured since he was a teenager. He was in trouble several times with the law because of his dependencies, faced with arrests in possession throughout his life. He has also been accused on several occasions of domestic violence and has experienced legal consequences on several occasions. In 2013, Robert de Niro, a friend, personally checked him in a detoxification treatment.
Sizemore’s drug problems were already a Hollywood secret opened in 1997 when Steven Spielberg was taking his famous war photo “Saving Private Ryan”. In this film, Sizemore was interpreted as Mike Horvath, a member of the peloton of soldiers of the Second World War sent to a particularly dangerous area of Germany to save the titular soldier (Matt Damon). Horvath was a tortured character, having clearly pushed too far on the battlefield, but unable to recognize that I could be exhausted. It gives a very good performance.
Spielberg recognized the talent of Sizemore and trusted that he would be able to stay clean for the film of 58 days of the film. Spielberg knew that previous size dependencies were a potential responsibility that was to be treated. In a 2010 interview with The Daily Beast, Sizemore revealed that Spielberg had given him an ultimatum: Sizemore would submit to daily drug tests on the request of Spielberg. If he failed to only one, then Spielberg would reward the whole film without him. It was enough motivation to keep size on the law and narrow.
If Tom Sizemore has failed a drug screening test, Spielberg would instantly dismiss it
Sizemore recalled daily drug tests on the set of “Private Ryan” and the rule he had to follow. He also knew that when he gave the interview, he would not need such an ultimatum, trying to remain optimistic. Sizemore said:
“”[Spielberg] would fire me on the spot and drew on the 58 days when I had still worked with someone else. […] I wouldn’t need this type of threat now. “”
The fact that Sizemore appears in “Saving Private Ryan” testifies to its sobriety at the time. He passed the drug screening tests and remained sober for 58 days. Sizemore refused a role in the image of Terrence Malick on the Second World War “The Thin Red Line” to work on “Saving Private Ryan” and Malick may not have made a similar ultimatum. Anyway, Sizemore would have made the right decision; “Thin Red Line” and “Saving Private Ryan” were nominated for the best Oscar film that year.
Unfortunately, Sizemore was unable to keep his sobriety, finally faced with several drug -related arrests throughout the 2000s. He failed several drug addicts after an arrest of domestic violence in 2003 and was arrested again in 2007 for possession of methamphetamine. It was not until 2010 around 2010 that Sizemore will fly into a detoxification treatment with de Niro by his side. His sobriety was still dotted with abuse scandals, and he was again arrested in 2019 for additional drug charges.
Throughout all this, Sizemore continued to work and was so busy, he appeared in four films after his death. He made 10 characteristics in 2022 only, mainly gender and crime films on a budget. It is a shame that he could not stay on the right track.
