Charlie Sheen thought his next big movie with director Oliver Stone was locked in. After ‘Platoon,’ the two were ready to reunite for ‘Born on the Fourth of July‘, a powerful war drama based on a true story.
But before filming began, Stone suddenly went silent, and Sheen soon learned in the most unexpected way that another Hollywood star had taken his place. Yes, Tom Cruise stepped into the role and marked a cinematic triumph, while Sheen was left with the biggest career regret.
When Tom Cruise Replaced Charlie Sheen In ‘Born On The Fourth Of July’
In the late 1980s, Charlie Sheen was one of Hollywood’s rising stars, and his partnership with Oliver Stone had already produced the Oscar-winning ‘Platoon.’ Naturally, when Stone began developing ‘Born on the Fourth of July‘, Sheen expected to be part of it. According to Sheen, Stone had personally told him, “I want you to do Born on the Fourth.“
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The two held several meetings and even had dinner with Ron Kovic himself, the paralyzed Vietnam veteran whose life inspired the film. Everything seemed to point to Sheen playing the lead role.
But then, without warning, Stone stopped reaching out. Sheen said the calls stopped, the meetings ended, and when he tried to contact the director, someone told him Stone was in Cuba. Days turned into weeks of silence until one unexpected phone call changed everything. That call came from his brother, Emilio Estevez.
The recollection went: “He says, ‘Hey, man, you sitting down?’” and he thought someone had died. Instead, Emilio told him that Tom Cruise had been cast in the role. Sheen remembered being stunned but amused, saying it was funny that his brother thought the news was so devastating he needed to sit down.
Charlie Sheen’s Trust Turned Into Betrayal
For Sheen, the decision hurt not because he lost a movie, but because of how it all happened. He said, “It was a big deal, but it was also the betrayal factor of it all.” By then, he and Stone had come far enough that the actor believed the project was essentially theirs to make.
There was no formal contract, but Sheen said they’d shaken hands and even signed a napkin as a symbolic agreement. He added, “My word was honored between us,” and explained that while nothing was on paper, their understanding felt real. Years later, Sheen said he ran into Stone at a bar and finally brought up the situation.
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According to Sheen, Stone claimed he thought Sheen had lost “passion” and “interest” in the project. The actor disagreed, replying, “I didn’t see you. How do you know how much passion I lost or interest that evaporated if we never talked about it again?” Despite everything, Sheen said he chose not to badmouth Stone publicly.
He explained, “It wasn’t like a thing where I was going to talk badly about him.” When he eventually saw the movie, Sheen said he understood Stone’s creative choice. “You see the movie and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay. He turned it into that.’” Though the rejection once felt personal, Sheen now has no resentments. He even praised Tom Cruise’s performance as Ron Kovic, saying Cruise “should have won the Oscar” for it.
Even now, it remains one of the biggest “what ifs” of his career. How would it have turned out if the project hadn’t slipped through his hands?
