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Emilio Estevez Recounts Martin Sheen’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ On-Set Incident
Emilio Estevez, star of “The Breakfast Club,” recently shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his father, Martin Sheen’s, experience filming the iconic Vietnam War film “Apocalypse Now” nearly five decades ago. In a recent interview, Estevez detailed Sheen’s well-documented breakdown during the chaotic production of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic.
Behind-the-Scenes of a Cinematic Breakdown
During a Thursday episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Estevez, 62, revisited the tumultuous filming of “Apocalypse Now” and his father Martin Sheen’s now-famous “meltdown” on set. He clarified the timeline often presented in the 1991 documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” which chronicled the numerous challenges faced during the movie’s production.
“In the documentary ‘Hearts of Darkness,’ they compressed the timeline and depicted his breakdown, in a way, toward the end of the production schedule, when in actuality it occurred much earlier,” Estevez explained. “It was early in the schedule when my dad was celebrating his birthday in August.”
Birthday Celebration Turns to On-Set Chaos
Estevez elaborated, “So, it was August 3rd, we had arrived earlier in July. He has this meltdown on set because he was celebrating his birthday, and he had been drinking.”
He then connected this real-life event to a scene in “Apocalypse Now” where Sheen’s character, Captain Benjamin L. Willard, becomes intoxicated and suffers a breakdown in his hotel room. It has been widely reported that this scene was not scripted and that Sheen, now 84, was genuinely under the influence at the time.
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Witnessing the Incident Firsthand
“Francis [Coppola] had him isolated in his room, and I was present. I was a direct witness to it unfolding,” Estevez recounted. “And I was there when they physically removed him, and he was ranting, raging, and screaming.”
Film Set Turned Night Court
Estevez continued, describing the unusual location, “We were filming in a building that was being used for night court. We carried him out that evening, and night court proceedings were actually happening downstairs. So we had to navigate down the stairs with him in this state.”
Reflecting on his father’s condition, Estevez admitted, “I had witnessed my dad intoxicated before. However, never to this extreme and certainly not in such a public manner.”
Escalating Situation and Jungle Escape
According to the “Mighty Ducks” actor, the situation continued to escalate. He recalled his father’s bizarre demand to enter the courtroom, “‘If I don’t go in there’ — and he’s yelling at my mom — ‘I need to go into that courtroom because if I don’t go in there, some poor son of a bitch is gonna go to jail for masturbating in front of a pig,’” Estevez remembered. Director Francis Ford Coppola attempted to intervene, pleading, “‘Martin, Martin, no. Come on, Martin.'”
Adding to the escalating events, Estevez revealed that his father subsequently “ran naked into the jungle” after Estevez and his mother, Janet, managed to get an inebriated Sheen into their car.
“It was almost comical,” Estevez stated. “We got him into the car. We started driving – aimlessly, just trying to get away and calm him down. Then he announced to everyone in the car that he needed to urinate.”
“So, we pulled over to the side of the road, and he exited the vehicle and sprinted naked into the jungle, just kept running,” he went on. “My mom pursued him… We eventually got him back into the car. Ten minutes later, ‘I have to urinate again.’ My mom retorted, ‘Martin, you have cried wolf once too many times. We are surrounded by wilderness. You can urinate all over yourself if needed.'”
Production Challenges of “Apocalypse Now”
“Apocalypse Now,” a cinematic masterpiece depicting the Vietnam War, faced numerous production hurdles. Filming took place in the Philippines between March 1976 and May 1977, but the film wasn’t released until 1979 due to these extensive challenges, many of which are detailed in “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.”
Sheen Family Legacy
In addition to Emilio, Martin and Janet Sheen are parents to Renée Estevez, 58, Charlie Sheen, 59, and Ramon Estevez, 61.
Estevez’s Recent Reunions and Reflections
This anecdote about his father’s “Apocalypse Now” experience surfaces shortly after Emilio Estevez reunited with his “Breakfast Club” castmates for the first time in four decades. It also follows Estevez’s recent criticism of “St. Elmo’s Fire” director Joel Schumacher, whom he described as a “nightmare” and a “bully.”