Charlie Sheen has quite a career in the movie industry and he has gained significant recognition around the world due to his combination of charisma, talent, and the wide variety of roles that he has played over his career. Sheen has been in the industry for quite some time and has a portfolio to brag about. While he is mainly known for his sitcom roles, he was a serious action star in the 1980s, and he was part of smash-hit movies such as Platoon, Navy Seals, The Rookie, and many more.
Charlie Sheen’s success with Platoon led to a special bond with Oliver Stone, the director of the film. However, even though the two shared a special bond after the success of the 1986 film, the actor felt betrayed after Stone snubbed him of a role that would have altered his career.
Charlie Sheen Felt Betrayed After Oliver Stone Hollow Promise
Oliver Stone’s Platoon was a massive hit as it accumulated $ 137.9 million at the worldwide box office. In the movie, Charlie Sheen played the role of Chris Taylor, a young soldier in the Vietnam War, and his performance was immensely praised by critics and viewers alike. His portrayal was memorable and earned the praise of the director, and promised him that he will cast him in his next movie.
The Terminal Velocity actor had told Playboy in 2001 that they “were going to have a relationship like Scorsese and De Niro.” Sheen told The Hollywood Reporter, that Stone had promised to give him the lead role on Born on the Fourth of July.
“He said Al Pacino wanted to do the movie, De Niro wanted to — everybody wanted to — and ‘I’m going to give you this movie.’”
However, Charlie Sheen soon felt betrayed as Stone chose Tom Cruise over him. But what hurt him the most was that the director did not make any effort to contact him. Instead, it was Emilio Estevez, Sheen’s brother who broke the news that Cruise had replaced him in the upcoming project.
Charlie Sheen Was Disappointed By Oliver Stone’s Action
In an interview with Playboy, the Wall Street actor stated how Stone’s decision would not have hurt so much, as he was a cinematic father figure to him.
“Hurt… I wouldn’t have cared if Oliver had called me personally, based on what we’d been through. We fought two wars you know. But here was a crucial point for both of us, and he couldn’t even call me and say, ‘I’ve changed my mind?”
While Charlie Sheen felt snubbed, film critic Jim Emerson shared his opinion on the casting choice of the film and stated that Tom Cruise was the better choice for the film.
“Tom Cruise was a much bigger name: Risky Business, Top Gun, Color of Money, Rain Man. Did people pay specifically to see Charlie Sheen in Red Dawn, Platoon, Wall Street, Young Guns, Eight Men Out? Not so much. They were all ensemble pictures — except for Wall Street, where he played the not-very-interesting protege role again, torn between the two father figures of Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen.”
Though no one knows what would have happened with the careers of the actors, and if Sheen’s or Cruise’s career would have been affected by this one particular film.
Born on the Fourth of July can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
