Charlie Sheen remembers that his initial involvement with Platoon stemmed from his brother Emilio Estevez’s enthusiasm for Oliver Stone’s Vietnam film. Estevez was initially cast as the lead but had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts, opening the door for Sheen to audition and eventually secure the role after further acting preparation and Willem Dafoe’s approval.

“Emilio kept talking to me about Oliver’s new Vietnam film, which he was auditioning for. He got the lead part, Chris Taylor, but then couldn’t do it because of scheduling conflicts. When I auditioned, Oliver said I was ‘too mannered’ and needed to do more work.

“So I did The Boys Next Door and Lucas – and I got the part, but only if Willem Dafoe approved. I didn’t meet Willem until we got to the Philippines. He ran past me in our hotel and gave me a hug. Later, Oliver came up to me and said: ‘Willem digs ya.'”

The filming itself was marked by grueling preparation in the Philippine jungle, where the cast underwent a rigorous boot camp to simulate military life. “It was insane. You had to be treated according to your rank. Willem and Tom Berenger, playing two sergeants, were in command and I was an FNG – a “f*cking new guy”. It really felt as if I was expected to scrub latrines, which I actually ended up doing in the movie.

“I thought we’d go out in the day then return to the hotel at night, but at sundown on the first day, there was no bus pulling up. I looked at Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker and said: ‘I guess we’re just staying here.’ It was a shock – but I don’t know if we could have captured the authenticity without that intense boot camp. Relationships that were forged there still exist to this day. We survived together.”

He says everyone was tired and angry. “At one point, we found a coconut grove and Forest somehow got a coconut. I can still see him now, trying to line it up with his machete. Before I could say, ‘Your thumb is too close!’ he swings and hits his thumb dead centre. He popped it into his mouth and two thick streams of blood poured out both sides. It was a ‘scream for the medic’ moment – and that was still in training camp.”

Sheen says Stone is “easily one of the smartest people I’ve ever met but he likes to show that off. When I knew I could get a laugh out of him, and he saw that I gave him respite from his self-imposed darkness, we got along famously.

“I remember the scene where Kevin Dillon goes nuts in the village with some poor guy. As my character was shooting the ground and losing his mind, I could see Oliver just off camera pumping his fist, jumping up and down and wanting to scream ‘F*ck yeah!’ but not ruin the take.