The Escapist star played Major Richard Winters in the World War II mini-series, which was co-produced by Tom Hanks, but Lewis admits he came close to blowing his big chance.
Lewis was so convinced he wouldn’t land the role, he decided to party the night away in Los Angeles after his initial meeting with Hanks.
The actor was stunned when he was summoned to meet Spielberg the following morning, but he still managed to impress the filmmaker despite suffering a raging hangover.
He says, “I got asked to read the part with about 150 other actors. Incredibly within 48 hours I was on a plane to meet Tom Hanks in L.A. It went OK but I still didn’t think I had a chance so I went out on the town with a mate until five in the morning. Three hours later the phone rings and someone says Steven Spielberg would like to see me immediately.
“I still felt drunk so I had about four showers and poured coffee down my throat. But Steven couldn’t have been more charming.”
