The Iconic War Movie Keanu Reeves Passed On Due To Violence

Before Charlie Sheen became Taylor in Platoon, director Oliver Stone offered the role to Keanu Reeves. Reeves turned it down, unsure if a violent war movie was right for him. According to Stone, Reeves simply didn’t want to act in something so intense.

“Keanu turned it down because of the violence. He didn’t want to do violence,” Stone told Entertainment Weekly.

Reeves wasn’t the only actor considered. Stone also thought about Kyle MacLachlan and a young Johnny Depp. However, he felt Depp wasn’t ready for such a major role. “Frankly, it’s going to sound cliche, but I clearly believed he was going to be a star,” Stone said.

“He was a great-looking kid. He was considered for other roles, but I didn’t think he was quite ready at that time to play Charlie’s role. We got to know each other pretty well in the jungle and I really thought he was going places. He was shy. I think it was before Jump Street.”

Stone eventually chose Charlie Sheen, believing he was the right fit for the part. “Charlie was a dumb-struck 17-year-old the first time he came in for the film, back when we were going to make it in ’84. And in those two years, he’d grown and seemed perfectly wide-eyed and had a vaguely privileged look,”

Stone explained. Reeves, though also young, already had a brooding intensity that might not have matched the role.

Platoon went on to become a landmark in war cinema. It currently holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 123 reviews, with an average score of 8.5 out of 10.

The site’s critical consensus reads, “Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.”

The movie earned major awards recognition. At the Academy Awards, it won Best Picture, Best Director for Stone, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe were nominated for Best Supporting Actor, while Stone received a nod for Best Original Screenplay. Platoon also won awards at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Silver Bears, and the Writers Guild of America, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Looking back, Reeves’ decision may have seemed like a missed chance, but Stone believes Sheen brought exactly what the film needed. The movie’s mix of raw performances and realistic war storytelling helped cement its place in Hollywood history.

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