While I wouldn't call myself a weather nerd at this point in my life, the fact that I notice myself becoming more and more like my dad as I get older suggests that it's just a matter of time. As my interest in learning about and understanding the events of World War II continues to grow, seeing Pressure in theaters was a no-brainer, and I'm not going to lie, the emphasis on the weather as it relates to the success of D-Day was fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful.
I've been enjoying learning more about the 2026 movie since its release, however, the thing I learned today pertains to Saving Private Ryan. Apparently Andrew Scott, who stars as Scottish meteorologist James Stagg alongside Brendan Fraser as Eisenhower in Anthony Maras's World War II movie, also had a small part in Spielberg's 1998 film. The Irish actor spoke about it during his interview with Conan O'Brien on the Team Coco podcast this week. Naturally I had to find the scene he referenced, and let me just say, if you never made the connection, you're undoubtedly not alone, as it's very quick, but he does get a line!
Andrew Scott's Saving Private Ryan Scene
During the devastating and bloody scene where the soldiers are storming the beach at Normandy, Andrew Scott can be seen and heard very briefly around the 14:00 mark of the movie. It's right as Tom Hanks' Captain Miller is talking to the ill-fated radioman. There are two soldiers that can be seen crouched down in the sand between Hanks and Tom Sizemore's Sgt. Mike Horvath. When Miller asks Horvath if he recognizes where they are, Horvath tells him they're "right where they're supposed to be, but no one else is." To which Andrew Scott's unnamed character adds:
Nobody's where they're supposed to be!
It's moments later when Miller turns back to the radioman and finds he's been shot. That's it, that's the scene!
Scott's name is included among the "Soldiers on the Beach" during the closing credits of the film.
Does Andrew Scott's Saving Private Ryan Character Survive?
As for the fate of his character, it's unclear if he survives beyond that scene, and even Scott doesn't know. As Scott put it when talking to Conan O'Brien:
I don't think people cared enough to know if my head got blown off. I always just say, I was the guy in green.
At least I know I'll always spot him when that scene comes up. That is, if I'm not already covering my eyes because I know the upsetting shot of the radioman's face is about to come up.
Like Saving Private Ryan, Pressure also features the D-Day invasion, however, rather than showing the arrival of the Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy at the start of the movie, as Spielberg's film does, since the 2026 film is focused on planning for the invasion, the scene on the beach isn't shown until toward the end of the film. It's no less upsetting or powerful to witness, though our perspective feels a bit different in Maras's movie, given everything we've learned throughout Pressure about the decisions that had to be made in the days and hours before launch.
