Francis Ford Coppola’s epic war dramaApocalypse Nowis widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and is a revered ’70s classic. The Oscar-winning picture famously featured a stacked cast of Hollywood’s finest includingMartin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper, and centers on Captain Willard as he is sent to assassinate a ruthless Special Forces officer during the Vietnam War.
Deemed a masterpieceof the New Hollywood era by audiences and critics,Apocalypse Nowwas infamously plagued by production woes, having faced a drawn-out shooting schedule, severe weather, temperamental actors, and Sheen falling victim to a nearly-fatal heart attack due to the stress of the project.
Sheen’s immense efforts and commitment to the film were not in vain, as he achieved widespread recognition for his gripping portrayal of Willard and the drama went on to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Despite becoming synonymous with the phenomenal role, Sheen almost didn’t lead the lauded flick. There were a handful of Tinseltown’s most buzzed about stars also in the running; let’s look at six actors who almost played Martin Sheen’s role inApocalypse Now.
6Jack Nicholson
Riding high on the massive success of his Oscar-winning performance inOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestand steady takeover as Hollywood’s brightest star,Jack Nicholsonwas offered the lead role of Willard and was heavily considered for Kurtz but ultimately turned down both parts. Though no specific reason was given, many speculate it was because of the grueling production schedule and “the unappealing prospect of four months on location in a remote jungle.”
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Nicholson has an elusive history with Francis Ford Coppola, as the director had also tried to cast him in the lead role in his groundbreaking hitThe Godfather,but the actor ended up passing on the part because he felt Michael Corleone should be portrayed by an Italian (thus paving the way for Al Pacino to star). Nicholson is no stranger to turning down major roles, as he did so with bothHannibal Lecter inThe Silence of the Lambsand Henry Gondorff inThe Sting.
5Al Pacino
Al Pacinobecame a household name and one of Tinseltown’s most buzzed about talents when he memorably starred as Michael Corleone in thegroundbreaking ’70s classicThe Godfatherand its subsequent sequel. The revered picture helped establish Pacino’s career and acting style and led to countless future movie projects and roles that further established his A-list status. As with his friend and co-star James Caan, Pacino was offered the part of Willard, but he too did not want to commit to such a long production shoot and was also apprehensive of becoming ill while filming in the jungle, as he did duringThe Godfather Part IIin the Dominican Republic.
In a retrospective interview from 2019, Pacino looked back on his choice not to star,revealing to Empire Magazine, “I just wasn’t ready to do it. I was at a certain point in my life and not in the right space for going away and doing a movie like that. I remember Coppola saying at the time, ‘Pacino won’t do a film unless you do it at his house.’ I said, ‘Yes, come over to my place. We can do Apocalypse Now here. Look, we’ll get somewhere with it.”
4James Caan
Allegedly approached to portray both Willard and Colonel Lucas (which ultimately went to Harrison Ford),James Caanhad already previously worked with Coppola in the iconic crime dramaThe Godfatherand inThe Godfather Part IIand earned an Oscar nomination for his brilliant work as Sonny Corleone. The gifted actor and director teaming up for his latest project seemed like a no-brainer, as the duo had proven they could create some serious movie magic together. However, like the other stars on this list, it seemed that Caan wanted more money than Coppola could afford and that he balked at the idea of such an intense shooting schedule.
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In an interview with ContactMusic.com back in 2005,Caan opened upabout not starring in the war epic and that he ultimately had no regrets about the decision. “It wasn’t going to be 16 weeks and we wanted money. And then Francis Ford Coppola said, ‘Listen Jimmy, I’ll tell you what, we’ll live in Manila and we’ll fly by helicopter [to the set].’ I said, ‘That’s two things I hate—height and tsetse flies … I can’t do this. That was a wonderful picture, but that last 15 minutes was cerebral horsecrap … I don’t know what that meant.”
3Steve McQueen
The “King of Cool” himselfSteve McQueenwas Coppola’s first choice to play Willard, but he too came at a high price that the producers couldn’t afford. Not only wastheBullittstarasking for a $3 million fee, but he also wasn’t thrilled about leaving America and having to shoot for 17 weeks in the Philippines. In an effort to try and figure out a solution to the budget and filming problem, McQueen pitched the idea that he instead play Kurtz and fellow acting legend Clint Eastwood could star as Willard, making him have to be present for only three weeks of shooting instead of 17.
Coppola rejected the idea and McQueen’s large asking price, believing that paying an actor such a high amount of money would set a precarious precedent for his other directors. Though he knew having the Hollywood superstar headlining the project would fill seats in theaters, he nonetheless refused andat the time expressed,“Whose fault is it that there are only six world stars today? Every studio should be developing talent. At this point, I can’t afford to work with people I started with.”
2Frederic Forrest
Though he was among the top contenders in the race to play Willard,When the Legends DiestarFrederic Forrestwas eventually instead cast as 3rd Class Jay “Chef” Hicks inApocalypse Now, a machinist from New Orleans who is deeply affected by thehorrors and violence of the war. While he didn’t end up nabbing the lead role, Forrest’s performance as Chef became one of his most memorable and noteworthy and marked the beginning of a long and enduring professional relationship with Coppola. The actor would go on to collaborate with the esteemed director in four more impressive films:The Conversation,One from the Heart,Hammett, andTucker: The Man and His Dream.
1Keith Carradine
Another name that was thrown around to star as Willard was film and television starKeith Carradine, who had previously risen to prominence in movies likeNashvilleandPretty Babyand in the martial arts dramaKung Fualongside his brother David. While not much information regarding his potential involvement inApocalypse Nowis well-known, multiple outlets reported that hewas heavily consideredfor the leading role before Harvey Keitel was ultimately cast and subsequently fired and replaced by Martin Sheen.
Though he never appeared in the acclaimed masterpiece, Carradine did go on to star in a different war drama, headlining the 1981 action thrillerSouthern Comfortalongside Powers Boothe and Fred Ward. His career didn’t seem to lose much steam though, as he went on to famously nab roles in shows likeDeadwood,Dexter,Madame Secretary,andThe Big Bang Theory.
