*Laurence Fishburne has come a long way since his early days as an actor. And while he has worked with various directors, the “Black-ish” star clearly remembers the time he fell short of one particular director’s expectations to deliver a great performance in front of the camera.
The situation in question was shared by Fishburne himself on Apple TV+’s new documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood.” According to “The Matrix” film series star, his lack of “sexual experience” as a teenager while filming the classic war film “Apocalypse Now” left its director, Francis Ford Coppola, “disappointed.”
“There’s a scene in Apocalypse Now that got cut from the original film, and then it’s been put back in the redux,” Fishburne recounted. “I was 14, 15, whatever, trying to do this scene talking about sex and I had no sexual experience. Like, none.” It’s also important to that one reason Coppola thought young “Larry” Fishburne was older/more experienced was because the actor lied about his age to get the job.
As he continued his story, Fishburne mentioned that Coppola, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, “couldn’t figure out how to get me to be any more experienced than I am, but he kept asking me to do it over and over again. I did something like 40 takes. It was really bad. And I could tell that he was disappointed. So I was feeling really, really down, really dejected.”
Fishburne, now 62, may have felt like a loser, but he had a big supporter in his co-star, Martin Sheen. The former “West Wing” star was there that day to deliver a much-needed pick-me-up.
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@mellowmutant Did you know, Laurence (Larry as he’s credited here) Fishburne lied about his age to get this part? #apocalypsenow #laurencefishburne #francisfordcoppola #martinsheen #1970smovie #warfilm #vietnammovie #filmhistory #stitchyourreaction ♬ original sound – mellow mutant
@themelanatedarchives_ 14 year old #LaurenceFishburne, back when he was simply known as LARRY, gives his take on acting in one of the greatest war movies of all time, #ApocalypseNow. #blackactors #blackartistry #classicfilms #classicinterviews #themelanatedarchives ♬ original sound – The Melanated Archives
The words of encouragement the former “West Wing” star relayed to the “King of New York” entertainer still resonate with him to this day. To hear Fishburne tell it, Sheen’s comments “saved my life.”
“I heard Martin whisper in my ear, ‘Did anyone ever tell you you were a really good actor?’” he said. “And I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘You’re a really good actor.’”
“That’s what being No. 1 on a call sheet is about for me,” Fishburne added.
Loosely inspired by the 1899 novella “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, “Apocalypse Now” was released in 1979 and centered on a a U.S. Army officer (Sheen)serving in Vietnam who is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel (Marlon Brando) who has reportedly gone completely mad. In addition to Fishburne, Sheen and Brando, the Oscar-winning film featured Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford.
Despite their not-so-pleasant time working together on “Apocalypse Now,” Fishburne and Coppola continued making films together, with “”Rumble Fish,” “The Cotton Club, “Gardens of Stone” and “Megalopolis.” among the several features under the belt, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
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