Entertainment · Film · 8 hrs ago
Robert De Niro Turned Down the Lead Role in Apocalypse Now
Robert De Niro turned down the lead role in Apocalypse Now, he said in an interview.
Director Francis Ford Coppola offered him the part of Captain Benjamin Willard.
De Niro was preparing to film Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese and told Coppola he could not take on another film.
Al Pacino and Clint Eastwood also declined the role, according to the account.
Martin Sheen was cast as Willard, and the film’s shoot, initially planned for six weeks, lasted 16 months.
The role brought Sheen a BAFTA nomination, while De Niro received major award nominations for Taxi Driver.
The two films became different milestones in the careers of the actors who took their parts.
Robert De Niro said he turned down the lead role of Captain Benjamin L. Willard in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.
He said he was preparing to film Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese when Coppola called to offer him the part.
De Niro recalled telling Coppola, “I couldn’t do it.”
Martin Sheen ultimately played Willard, and the film’s production lasted 16 months, rather than the planned six weeks.
- Who
- Robert De Niro turned down the role; Martin Sheen ultimately played Captain Benjamin L. Willard.
- What
- De Niro declined the lead role in Apocalypse Now.
- When
- The refusal was about 47 years before the article was published; the exact date is not stated.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- De Niro said he was about to film Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Coppola called De Niro while he was dining with the producers of Taxi Driver and Martin Scorsese, and offered him the lead role.
Production of Apocalypse Now took 16 months, although it had initially been planned to last six weeks.
Martin Sheen was cast as Captain Benjamin L. Willard.
- Role offered
- Captain Benjamin L. Willard
- Film
- Apocalypse Now
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- De Niro’s other commitment
- Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese
- Production period
- March 1976–August 1977
What people are saying
I couldn’t do it.
Francis, I’m about to do Taxi Driver with Marty. I can’t.