Entertainment

5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know: ‘Platoon’

July 29, 2022Mac Caltrider
Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam War classic Platoon took home four Academy Awards, but there's more to the movie than most fans realize. Composite by Coffee or Die.

Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam War classic Platoon took home four Academy Awards, but there's more to the movie than most fans realize. Composite by Coffee or Die.

Nearly 40 years since its release in 1986, Oliver Stone’s Platoon is still considered by many to be one of the best war movies ever made. Stone — who himself was wounded twice while serving with the US Army in Vietnam — famously put his cast through a grueling “boot camp” to help immerse them in the world of their fictional characters. The intense and, at the time, innovative preparation paid off when Platoon won more awards than any other film during the 59th Academy Awards, including the Oscar for best director, making Stone the first war veteran to receive the prestigious award.

Platoon remains a favorite war film among audiences, as evidenced by its current audience score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. With an all-star cast and loads of visually striking practical effects, Stone’s Vietnam War epic is also filled with plenty of interesting details that are easy to miss, and the behind-the-scenes story is pretty fascinating as well. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about Platoon.

Platoon Dye final.jpg

Legendary movie advisor Dale Dye is also a decorated Marine Corps veteran. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.

Legendary Military Film Adviser Dale Dye Has Several Cameos

Dale Dye — a Vietnam veteran and popular military adviser for big-budget war movies and shows, including Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and Born on the Fourth of July — regularly makes cameos in the films he works on. With Platoon, however, Dye didn’t just play one small role; he played four.

His most obvious cameo is the small speaking role of Capt. Harris, the unit’s company commander. But Dye also appears at one point in the film as a Huey door gunner — though he was sure to keep the helmet’s visor pulled down to conceal his identity. Additionally, Dye plays one of the dead soldiers in the beginning of the film who is zipped inside a body bag, and his voice can also be heard over the radio throughout the film.

Dye’s wife also has a small cameo, appearing as the young Vietnamese woman who gets thrown into a mass grave following the film’s climactic battle — a vicious firefight based on an actual engagement dubbed Operation Ford, which Dye had fought in 18 years before the filming of Platoon.

Stone Originally Wanted Jim Morrison To Play the Lead Role

In 1971, Stone offered the lead role of Chris Taylor to The Doors frontman Jim Morrison. Tragically, Morrison died later that year without ever having responded to Stone, but the script for Platoon was found in the Paris hotel room where he died. Two decades later, Stone directed The Doors, with Val Kilmer playing the part of Morrison.

Platoon depp final.jpg

Platoon helped launch Johnny Depp's career in Hollywood. Screenshot from Platoon.

Johnny Depp Snuck Some Hidden Shoutouts to His Girlfriend Into the Film 

In his first major role, 22-year-old Johnny Depp played a young Pvt. Gator Lerner. At the time of filming, Depp was dating actress Sherilyn Fenn. When several cast members drew graffiti on their helmet covers (a common practice during the war) Depp decided to join in on the fun and wrote “Sherilyn” on the left side of his helmet. But apparently one nod to his lover wasn’t enough. In the scene where everyone gets high and Depp plays guitar, eagle-eyed fans might catch Fenn’s initials encircled in a heart scratched into the instrument.

Willem Dafoe Became Seriously Ill After Drinking From Water Tainted by a Dead Animal

Willem Dafoe joined the cast for one of his first major roles as the “good” Sgt. Elias opposite Tom Berenger’s “evil” Sgt. Barnes. The two characters exist as extreme examples of how soldiers conduct themselves in the ethically muddy world of war. Dafoe, who was previously known for playing bad guys, was nominated for an Oscar for his performance. It was a nomination well deserved, especially considering that Dafoe endured quite a bit of physical suffering for the role.

During one particularly hot day on set, Dafoe became so thirsty he took a sip from a nearby river, unaware that the rotting body of a pig lay in the water just upstream. The actor became violently ill for 24 hours but made a full recovery.

Platoon Elias

Willem Dafoe became seriously ill thanks to a dead pig during shooting. Screenshot from Platoon.

Ben Stiller Lost Out on a Part for Being Too Cute

Ben Stiller auditioned for a role in the ensemble cast but was turned down when Stone decided he was “too cute.” Though Stiller didn’t land a spot in the platoon, he later went on to write, direct, and star in Tropic Thunder, a spoof of both Platoon itself and the boot camp Stone put his actors through before filming. The 2008 comedy was a smash hit and even came with its own hilarious mockumentary, allowing Stiller to finally play the role of a soldier in Vietnam.

Read Next: Animal Mother and the Duality of Man in ‘Full Metal Jacket’

Mac Caltrider
Mac Caltrider

Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Intel
Ukraine: Russia Hits Apartments and Dorm, Killing Civilians

“Russia is shelling the city with bestial savagery,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegr...

March 22, 2023Associated Press
cold brew coffee soda float
Coffee
The Bitter Barista's Cold Brew Coffee Soda Float

Today, we combine the best of both worlds with this indulgent recipe, smashing together our love of coffee and ice cream with a cold brew coffee soda float!

March 21, 2023Heather Lynn
abrams tanks ukraine
Intel
US Speeds Up Abrams Tank Delivery to Ukraine War Zone

The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the newer M1A2 Abrams, which could have taken a year or ...

March 21, 2023Associated Press
Coffee Or Die Photo
Intel
US: War Crimes on All Sides in Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict

The Biden administration announced Monday that it has determined all sides in the brutal conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

March 20, 2023Associated Press
military pilots cancer rates
Military
Higher Cancer Rates Found in Military Pilots, Ground Crews

In its yearlong study of almost 900,000 service members who flew on or worked on military aircraft b...

March 20, 2023Associated Press
whiskey pour
Military
Veterans Lead the Way Among America’s Growing Craft Distilleries

American veterans are taking the lessons they learned in the military and changing the craft distilling industry.

March 20, 2023Mac Caltrider
military suicide veteran suicide
Military
Military Moves To Cut Suicides, But Defers Action on Guns

In a memo released Thursday, Austin called for the establishment of a suicide prevention working gro...

March 17, 2023Associated Press
us military drills japan-south korea
Intel
US, Partners Stage Military Drills Amid Japan-South Korea Talks

The Sea Dragon 23 exercises that started on Wednesday will culminate in more than 270 hours of in-fl...

March 17, 2023Associated Press
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved