Back in his initial days in Hollywood, Sean Penn was known as a loose cannon, as back in 1987 he’d serve 87 days in jail for driving recklessly and punching a background performer. But it wasn’t only the background performer who had to endure some serious beating from Charlize Theron’s ex-partner, as John Leguizamo is too familiar with the Mystic River star’s strong hands.
Before making it big in Hollywood, the John Wick star initially found his footing through 1989’s Casualties of War, starring opposite Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox. However, working on his first major movie arrived with its own sets of difficulties, especially while filming a confrontation sequence with Penn.
Sean Penn became John Leguizamo’s biggest nightmare after Casualties of War
Known for having a diverse slate of filmography under his belt, Sean Penn often goes full method to adjust to his tonally different projects, and the same was the case for 1989’s Casualties of War. But the actor’s decision to go full method would have a lasting impact on the film crew, including Michael J. Fox and John Leguizamo. However, in Leguizamo’s case, after he was demoted to a lesser important role in the film, he had to engage in a confrontation sequence with Penn’s character.
Reflecting on the experience, Leguizamo recalled the Mystic River star didn’t pull any punches when it came to slapping the actor for the sequence, jokingly admitting that it left permanent scars. He said,
“Sean Penn is a sergeant and we kidnap this Vietnamese girl and we gotta gang rape her and my character refuses and Sean’s gotta slap me into submission, and of course, Sean doesn’t believe in stage combat because he’s too method for that s**t, so he’s slapping me for real. I twitch every time he (Penn) comes near me.”
Unfortunately, despite taking some heavy beating for the sequence, the scene didn’t make it to the final cut of the film, leaving a sour taste in the John Wick star’s mouth.
John Leguizamo encountered a violent side of Steven Seagal in Executive Decision
John Leguizamo is no new to taking a hit in his movies, as not long after his time with Sean Penn in Casualties of War, the actor once again found himself cornered by Steven Seagal in Executive Decision. But unlike Penn, the Under Siege star lashed out at Leguizamo to showcase his dominance rather than filming a sequence. It’s reasonable to see why the Ice Age star can’t stand the actor and called Seagal a horrible person, as before his fall from grace, the actor allegedly gave a heavy beating to Leguizamo over a minute disagreement. The Ice Age star recalled,
“He came in and was like, [low, breathy voice] ‘I’m in command. What I say is law.’ So I started, like, [snorts]. I mean, who the fuck talks like that? Who comes into rehearsal and says that shit? So I started laughing and he slammed me with an aikido elbow against a brick wall and knocked all the air out of me,”
But in Sean Penn’s case, despite having a hard time working with the Carlito’s Way alum, it did go on to give the John Wick star’s career a major push, resulting in him making it big in the industry.
Casualties of War is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Conan Classic
