Why did Francis Ford Coppola fire Harvey Keitel from Apocalypse Now didn't impress Coppola.
Apocalypse Now's chaotic production is documented in the 1991 film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. Inspired by Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, Coppola updated the story to reflect the horrors of the Vietnam War and produced the blockbuster over 16 months, with the bulk of the action taking place in the Philippines. After Keitel left the project in March 1976, American actor Martin Sheen landed the Willard role based on his audition for Michael Corleone in Coppola's iconic 1972 film The Godfather. In Apocalypse Now, Sheen's character must locate and assassinate a rogue U.S. Colonel, Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who forms his own army in Cambodia, thus intensifying the conflict between the United States and North Vietnamese soldiers. The film won Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Cinematography. However, Sheen was not fortunate enough to receive a nomination for his performance.
Coppola fired Keitel from Apocalypse Now because of his character interpretation. According to Peter Cowie's 1990 biography Coppola, the director stated that his lead actor "found it difficult to play him as a ive onlooker." Specifically, his appearance and on-set demeanor were problematic, per the sound designer Walter Murch. In a November 2014 interview (via Reservoir Dogs actor has "narrow" eyes, which contrasts with the "very big eyes" of his replacement, Sheen, who seemingly captured a sense of naiveté as Willard treads off into the unknown.
Keitel's demeanor while filming Apocalypse Now can partially be explained by his displeasure with the production process. An April 2019 report (via Jack Nicholson (per the aforementioned Variety report).
Based on Keitel's performance in Mean Streets, Coppola presumably identified his ability to communicate the softer side of a hardened individual. In Scorsese's 1973 film, the actor portrays a mob-connected New Yorker who narrates about his inner conflict, most notably his religious beliefs and how they translate to the streets. Since the '70s, Keitel has excelled at playing wise-guy types, or characters who are fundamentally intimidating because of their presence. In contrast, Sheen has sustained a career by playing friendly and paternal characters, evidenced in part by roles in the The Departed, the NBC series The West Wing, and the Netflix show Grace and Frankie, to a name a few. For Apocalypse Now, based on various reports, Keitel's interpretation of Willard didn't include a sense of wide-eyed wonder; a character trait that Sheen ultimately managed to convey. According to the sound designer Murch (via the aforementioned Yahoo! Movies report), Keitel can still be seen in the film:
“If you look at the shot, it’s from a helicopter looking at the boat as it’s taking off from the dock at the beginning of the trip. The boat leaves the dock and circles and heads out in the ocean. The person sitting on the front of the boat is Harvey Keitel. It’s such a long shot you can’t tell, but he is in the film!”
