The list of names who were supposed to be in this film, but didn't end up making it, is something of a 'who's who' of Hollywood all on its own. You can add Billy Bob Thornton to that list, too. Thornton was originally slated to appear as Sgt. Mike Horvath; the role that eventually went to Tom Sizemore.
Sizemore's lucky break came from one of Thornton's phobias. When he agreed to play the part, he hadn't realized quite how realistic Spielberg intended the combat scenes to be. Specifically, he hadn't realized that he's be required to walk into the sea off the coast of Omaha Beach. That was a pretty big deal for Thornton; he's aquaphobic, meaning he has a mortal dread of being submerged in water! He was forced to pull out, and Sizemore got a major career opportunity.