20 Things You Somehow Missed In Apocalypse Now

It was Harrison Ford's idea that his character in the briefing scene is named Colonel G. Lucas, in tribute to George Lucas. This is due not only to Lucas' role in Apocalypse Now's development, but also due to his impact on Ford's career. Lucas had given Ford a huge break by casting him in American Graffiti, and Ford had also just finished principal photography on Star Wars, which would make him a huge star. Lucas had been under tremendous stress while shooting Star Wars, even suffering from hypertension, and it's possible Ford gave his character the name in order to give his friend a laugh.

Apocalypse Now and Star Wars had both been scheduled to start shooting within a few days of each other in March 1976, but massive delays caused by Typhoon Olga meant Coppola's film was way behind schedule. This allowed Ford to fly to the Philippines and shoot the briefing scene after Star Wars had wrapped.

According to Coppola, Ford was shaky with exhaustion after the long flight. Coppola felt this gave the character a shaky, nervous look, so he incorporated that into the character, having him drop the dossier folder on the floor to show his nervousness.