Jimmy Fallon faked knowing how to drive for his brief Band of Brothers cameo - Here's all about it

We all know Jimmy Fallon from The Tonight Show, but to your surprise, the well-known host has also shared a small cameo in the Steven Spielberg-produced HBO show Band of Brothers. His role has come to the spotlight years later, after the show premiered in 2001, because of how out of place it feels witnessing a fun show host in an intense and serious show about the US Army division during World War 2.

Fallon had appeared in episode 5, 'Crossroads,' directed by Tom Hanks, portraying a real-life army officer who delivers ammunition to Easy Company in the thick of war. His cameo was brief with a memorable entrance. The scene introduces him driving the stick shift jeep of World War 2 times to deliver the ammunition.

In 2018, on The Tonight Show, he revealed how he faked knowing how to drive for his brief Band of Brothers cameo.

Read on to know more.

Jimmy Fallon faked knowing how to drive for his brief Band of Brothers cameo

Jimmy Fallon's entry is memorable as he commands soldiers to give him way as he has brought some ammunition. He then converses quickly with Major Richard Winters and Lewis Nixon before heading back in his military jeep.

Fallon's character is required to know how to drive the WW2 era jeep, but he just pretends he does and tries to fake it. The crew members had to bear the burn on the day of the shoot.

In 2018, on The Tonight Show, Fallon revealed how he had no idea how to drive a stick-shift jeep while filming this scene. They were shooting in England with the production team creating the battlefields with utmost detail, while Fallon was confident but still nervous:

"I was so nervous. I had to just drive a jeep and say my line, 'Good luck, boys.' It's a real WWII jeep, so you've got to, like, press the thing, put it in neutral... I don't know how to drive. And I just say my line, and I'm supposed to look really heroic."

He further expressed his feelings and how he ended up making a mistake in front of 200 extras:

"I'm so nervous. There's like 200 extras. So I drive, I hit my spot. I go, 'Good luck, boys,' and I forget to press the clutch, and these two dudes are pushing the car, and the wheels aren't moving because the clutch isn't in. I don't know how they made it work, but they made it work."

By the end of the scene, two crew members had to push the jeep from behind to make it look like Fallon was driving. Thanks to the technique of editing, with some creative cuts, the scene turned out to be fine.

More than two decades later, Fallon’s brief stint in Band of Brothers remains one of the most delightfully awkward behind-the-scenes stories from the otherwise intense and historically grounded HBO masterpiece.

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Band of Brothers features several soldiers from the US Army Division in the war zone, training and contributing to the fall of N*zi Germany. What goes on between the captains and how they manage some high-pressure conditions is what this show is about.

Band of Brothers is known to be one of the most "visceral" shows in Television history. If you haven't watched it yet, catch the show only on HBO.

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