20 Things You Somehow Missed In Apocalypse Now

"I chose to have that heart attack. I needed to have that heart attack."

Martin Sheen's words, spoken in an interview with Bob Costas, exonerate Francis Ford Coppola from responsibility for the heart attack Sheen suffered during the production of Apocalypse Now. And while Sheen has said that the heart attack represented a spiritual death of the flawed person within him, it's impossible to divorce the physical death he nearly experienced in a Philippian hospital from the tremendous stress he was under while making the film.

Sheen was 37 years old, a troubled alcoholic and heavy smoker, and an admittedly dishonest, insecure man who was ridden with stereotypical Irish-Catholic guilt. Coppola wanted Sheen's portrayal of Willard to represent his own personal journey, including whatever pain, guilt, and evil might exist within him. The director's only demand was total honesty in his actor's performance, and the pressure Sheen placed on himself resulted in his heart attack and a nervous breakdown.

Shooting continued while Sheen was recovering, with Sheen's brother Joe Estevez acting as stand-in. Estevez also provided some voice-over work in his brother's place when Sheen was unavailable during post-production, and their voices are so similar that even Coppola can't tell them apart.