Platoon

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platoon

cast

Tom Berenger … Sgt. Bob Barnes
Willem Dafoe … Sgt. Elias Grodin
Charlie Sheen … Pvt. Chris Taylor
Forest Whitaker … Big Harold
Francesco Quinn … Rhah
John C. McGinley … Sgt. Red O’Neill
Richard Edson … Sal
Kevin Dillon … Bunny
Reggie Johnson … Junior Martin
Keith David … King
Johnny Depp … Private Gator Lerner
David Neidorf … Tex
Mark Moses … Lt. Wolfe
Chris Pedersen … Crawford
Tony Todd … Sgt. Warren

related photos

•Stills

trivia

Oliver Stone considered casting Johnny Depp for the lead role of Pvt. Chris Taylor but Depp was too young for the part and unknown at the time. Stone said that Depp would someday become a huge star and is thus one of the first filmmakers who introduced Johnny Depp to Hollywood.

All of the actors had to endure a harsh 14-day boot camp in the Philippines before the shooting of the film commenced. The actors were given military haircuts, were required to stay in character throughout the camp, ate only military rations, were not allowed to shower, slept in the jungle, and even had rotations for night watch.

Several of the actors wrote messages on their helmets worn throughout the movie. ‘Charlie Sheen’ ‘s helmet reads, “When I die, bury me upside-down, so the world can kiss my ass”, while Johnny Depp’s simply reads, “Sherilyn”, a tribute to Sherilyn Fenn, whom Depp was dating at the time. Mark Moses (Lt. Wolfe) had on his helmet a drawing of MAD magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman with the phrase “What, me worry?” and, according to Tom Berenger, this caused Oliver Stone to laugh hysterically once during filming.

Another reference to Sherilyn Fenn can be seen on Johnny Depp’s guitar in the scene where they are smoking dope * the carved initials S.F.

The cast and crew arrived in the Philippines in early 1986, almost simultaneous to the beginning of the Edsa Revolution of 1986 that toppled Marcos. Dafoe says that a day or two after he arrived in Manila, he awoke to see a column of tanks rolling down the streets.

# Johnny Depp says when he left for the Philippines for this movie at the age of 22, it was his first time out of the United States.

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #86 Greatest Movie of All Time.

Quotes

Pvt. Gator Lerner: [to Rhah] You’re weird, man.

[During the interrogation of a village chief after the platoon finds hidden weapons]
Pvt. Gator Lerner: He says they had no choice… says the NVA killed their old honcho when he said no, and I say all the rice is theirs.
Sgt. Barnes: Oh, bull SHIT, Lerner!

Pvt. Gator Lerner: He says he was hit in a bombing raid.
Tony Hoyt: He’s a dink f’sure!

links

• IMDB
• Official Site