Tom Berenger Shares Hilarious 'Platoon' Charlie Sheen Story at 'The Big Chill' TCM Festival Screening

Platoon is a super serious movie about a group of soldiers serving in Vietnam, but Tom Berenger still came away from that grueling experience with at least one funny Charlie Sheen story. During a reunion with his The Big Chill co-star JoBeth Williams at the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 16, Berenger got a little off-topic with an anecdote from the making of Oliver Stone's 1986 war classic. Williams and Berenger did share plenty of memories related to The Big Chill throughout their introduction to the film though.

Before director Lawrence Kasdan started filming The Big Chill, he had the actors rehearse together extensively. That way, the large ensemble cast knew each other as well as they could know anyone, which brought authenticity to their performances. Berenger told TCM host Ben Mankiewicz that Stone did something similar with Platoon. The cast had three to four weeks of jungle training and experienced "intense major sleep deprivation," he said.

Luzon, the largest island in The Philippines, stood in for Vietnam in Platoon. One day, Berenger and Sheen were watching the Filipino crew setting up lighting and cables. The guys were all staring at Sheen. "I think maybe they recognize me from when I was here as a kid," Sheen said, because Apocalypse Now, starring his father Martin Sheen, was shot there.

"I said, 'They're probably the same crew guys. They seem to know everything about shooting war films in the jungle,'" Berenger recalled. "He said, 'Yeah, that must be it.'" Berenger then turned to Sheen and said his dad visited the island too. "What movie was he in?" Sheen asked Berenger.

Berenger had to remind Sheen that his dad wasn't in a movie. He was in a tank serving in the real war! Berenger's father served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. "Hollywood kids," Berenger said of his Major League co-star.

The Big Chill hit theaters in September 1983 and featured an all-star cast that also included Glenn Close, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, and Meg Tilly. It was only Kasdan's second film as director. Kasdan and co-writer Marbara Benedeck were set to attend the screening, but neither made it. Without the writers, Berenger and Williams focused on the actors' perspective of making the film.

Williams and Close both wanted the part that went to Place, who played Meg, the lawyer who wanted to have a baby. Williams played Karen, who found herself stuck in a boring marriage to Richard (Don Galloway). Close was cast as Sarah, who owned the house where the action takes place with Harold (Kline). Kasdan told Williams that he wrote Karen for her, so switching the parts was a no-go.

"I said to Larry when he cast me, 'I think I'd be much better as the lawyer trying to have the baby,'" Williams recalled. "He said, 'Look, I wrote this part with you in mind, so this is the part you're playing. I said, 'OK!'"

Berenger was pleased with his part. He played actor Sam Weber, who is going through a divorce and finally acts on his feelings toward Karen. Kasdan was so impressed with Berenger's screen test that he told him not to change anything, which left Berenger a bit puzzled. "It was kind of strange, because I was playing an actor, and I think it's the only time I've played an actor," Berenger said. Berenger also confirmed that he never actually had to jump in the car as Sam did in the movie. That was all a stunt double who was really good at his job.

The Big Chill wasn't expected to be the cultural milestone it turned out to be. Seven studios turned it down until Johnny Carson's production company agreed to produce it. Distributor Columbia didn't think it had anything until it won a major award at the Toronto Film Festival. Then it just took off.

"I felt like it was going to be a really good movie because we were all so good in it," Williams said. "It was a wonderful script."