Over the years there have been some incredibly powerful World War 2 films released in cinemas.
And one of the very best has to be ’s Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon.
Upon the Oscar-winning classic’ release in 1998, Austin Powers star Mike Myers was in attendance and was emotionally impacted by the movie.
The Canadian comedian’s parents were British immigrants from Liverpool and both were World War 2 veterans.
His mother served in the Women’s Royal Air Force, and his father in the Royal Engineers.
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Mike Myers at the Saving Private Ryan premiere in 1998 (Image: GETTY)
Speaking with , Myers recalled: “I went to the premiere of Saving Private Ryan, and Jeffrey Katzenberg comes up to me afterward in the lobby and brings his daughters, who then do the dance sequence from Austin Powers. This was after such a heavy movie, and I was in tears, because my parents were in World War 2, and I was shell-shocked, and then they’re doing the dance, and I was like, “Yeah, that’s great. (READ A ROOM.)”
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Saving Private Ryan won five Oscars but lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love (Image: GETTY)
It turns out that this was the moment when Myers was offered Shrek, which would not hit cinemas until 2001. The actor added: “And then he said, ‘Mike, would you ever do an animated movie?’ and I go ‘Sure.’ And he goes, ‘Well, we have an animated movie. It’s called Shrek.’ And I go, ‘Well, that’s the worst f***ing title I’ve ever heard in my life.’”