Laurence Fishburne Saved Emilio Estevez’s Life on the ‘Apocalypse Now’ Set, Says Martin Sheen

In his role as Captain Willard in the 1979 classic Apocalypse Now, Martin Sheen offered some crucial advice: “Never get out of the boat.” It’s guidance his son,  actor Emilio Estevez, could’ve used when he visited the set of the war movie as a kid, as actor Laurence Fishburne had to save Estevez from drowning in mud after — yep, you guessed it — leaving the safety of his boat.

In a recent interview with Daily Blast, Sheen recalled the decades past, near fatal occurrence.

“We didn’t know about it until about 30 years later. Emilio never mentioned it, but yeah it’s true,” Sheen said. “I think Emilio was about 12 or 13, and Larry was 14.”

The episode unfurled at Lake Caliraya near Pagsanjan in the Philippines, where Sheen was filming Francis Ford Coppola‘s film about the Vietnam war alongside a young Fishburne, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford. Sheen’s other son, Charlie, also appeared in the film as an extra.

“[Fishburne and Estevez] became best friends. They were out on the boat one day and the boat got stuck,” Sheen recalled. “Emilio got out of the boat to clear the area and he began to sink into the mud — he went under. Larry quickly moved and pulled him on board.”

This isn’t the first time Sheen has discussed the troubling event. Back in 2012, he spoke about the incident during a panel discussion at the Hudson Union Society alongside Estevez, saying it was “one of the most astonishing things” he had heard about the Apocalypse Now filming process.

“I’ve been friends with [Fishburne] and his family since he was 14 years old. This knowledge had never, ever been known to us,” Sheen explained. “I need to thank Laurence for that, because it was a very good thing to do.”

After he found out, Sheen said he, “called Laurence and said, ‘Thank you! Appreciate you saving our son’s life.'”

Clearly, Sheen and Estevez have overcome most of the trauma surrounding the incident, as both chuckled over it during the panel in 2012, and Sheen had a good laugh about it in his most recent interview. Over the years, Sheen has continued to joke about thanking Fishburne for his selfless act, remembering the high-stakes event with levity.

After touring the Apocalypse Now set as a kid, Estevez went on to star in hits like St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club, Repo Man, and Maximum Overdrive. Most recently, the actor reprised his Mighty Ducks role as Gordon Bombay in the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks; Game Changers. Next year, he’ll star in Guns 3: Alias Billy The Kid.

“[The rescue] proved very profitable as well!” Sheen quipped at the 2012 panel.

Where to Watch Apocalypse Now