‘I Love That Emilio Thought That I Needed To Be Seated.’ Charlie Sheen Says His Brother Called Him To Deliver Bad Tom Cruise News Early In His Career

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Charlie Sheen collaborated with director Oliver Stone on films such as Platoon and Wall Street. He had hoped to appear in Stone’s acclaimed Vietnam War movie, Born on the Fourth of July, but Tom Cruise was ultimately cast in the role. Sheen shared that his brother, Emilio Estevez, felt he needed to deliver the disappointing news to him in person.

Considering Charlie Sheen’s past work with Oliver Stone, he expected to be involved in one of Stone’s future films. However, in an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Sheen discussed his surprise and disappointment at not being contacted by the director about Born on the Fourth of July.

We met and had dinner with Ron Kovic, but then he just disappeared from my life. We stopped communicating, and when I asked Oliver about him, I found out he was in Cuba. This was around 1988 or 1989, and I simply asked Oliver to let Ron know I was trying to get in touch.

It would be really confusing if I met the person I was trying to represent, and then they just stopped responding. I’d likely start wondering what I’d done wrong, or if the project was cancelled or they’d chosen someone else.

Although Oliver Stone didn’t contact Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez – a frequent co-star and Sheen’s brother – was the one who told him he hadn’t been cast in the role.

Emilio called me and asked if I was sitting down, which immediately made me think someone had died. Turns out, he was just telling me Tom Cruise was making a movie called ‘Born on the Fourth.’ It was funny that he thought I’d be so shocked by movie news – it’s just a film, after all!

It’s interesting that the actor from Major League wasn’t as upset by the news as his brother expected. Since he was a successful actor at the time, he likely figured other roles would come along. Even so, it’s always better to hear bad news from family than to read about it in the papers.

Charlie Sheen wasn’t thrilled to learn Tom Cruise was cast as Ron Kovac, though he didn’t have a dramatic reaction. He explained to Graham Bensinger what bothered him most about not getting the role.

It was a really tough situation, especially because it felt like a betrayal. I had to accept it, though. Oliver has always admired Tom, and the movie would be completely different with Tom in the role compared to me.

I understand why Charlie Sheen felt hurt. It’s frustrating to go through auditions and discussions, only to find out through the grapevine that you didn’t get the role. Considering how the Oliver Stone film launched Tom Cruise’s career and made him a major star in the 90s, it’s easy to wonder what impact a similar military role could have had on Sheen’s path.

Though the Emmy-nominated actor and director Oliver Stone never worked together on a famous patriotic film, they recently reunited by chance. As Charlie Sheen recalled, they bumped into each other at a bar, leading to a surprising conversation.

Let me tell you, it happened after a few drinks – for both of us. We finally addressed this lingering issue, and he told me he felt I’d lost my drive, that my passion had faded. Honestly, I was floored. I pointed out that we hadn’t really talked since things went south, so how could he possibly know what I was feeling or how much enthusiasm I’d lost? It felt like a pretty unfair assessment, considering the complete lack of communication.

The actor explained that Stone relied on his gut feeling when deciding Charlie Sheen wasn’t the best fit for the role. Sometimes, there’s simply no clear reason why an actor doesn’t get a part. In this case, Tom Cruise might have impressed Stone with the energy and presence the director wanted for the character of the sergeant who becomes an activist.

Although the actor from Top Gun ultimately landed the role of Ron Kovic instead of Charlie Sheen, he shared why he doesn’t hold any hard feelings towards Tom Cruise about it.

I wasn’t going to criticize him, because after seeing the movie, it’s clear he really delivered. When someone takes on a role and excels like that, it just makes sense. You don’t question their choices or think you could have done it better – that’s ridiculous. It was a fantastic performance, and he deserved to win the Oscar.

Tom Cruise delivered a truly stunning performance in Born on the Fourth of July. Many consider it his strongest work of the 1980s, brilliantly portraying a Marine’s journey from enthusiastic patriot to vocal opponent of the war. It’s surprising he didn’t win an Oscar for the role, though it was the first time his performance had received major award attention.

The actor, known for his role in Young Guns, also shared his belief that things happen for a reason. He explained that if he’d taken the part in Born on the Fourth of July, he likely wouldn’t have been able to star in Major League, which became one of his most famous films.

Losing a part he expected to get must have been really difficult for Charlie Sheen. While it wasn’t Oliver Stone who told him personally, thankfully his brother was there to help him through it.

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2025-10-31 01:09