10 More Best Actor Replacements In Movies

Apocalypse Now is one of the most iconic movies of all time for many reasons, not least Martin Sheen's phenomenal performance as protagonist Captain Willard. 

But Francis Ford Coppola initially cast Harvey Keitel to play the part instead, and yet mere days into shooting the director began to feel that he was a bad fit for Willard, that the famously intense actor was struggling to play Willard as the passive observer he's supposed to be.

And so, Keitel departed the film after a few weeks of production, after which Coppola deferred to his second choice, Sheen, to replace him.

Sheen's more restrained energy was ultimately perfect for who Willard is on the page, and even just looking at photos of Keitel on set, he seems like an inferior fit.

As hiccups during the production of Apocalypse Now go, this was actually pretty low down on the totem pole, though Sheen's casting also came with its own issues - namely the actor suffering a near-fatal heart attack near the end of shooting.