Laurence Fishburne saved Emilio Estevez from drowning in quicksand when they were 14

Emilio Estevez recalls how Laurence Fishburne saved his life when he was drowning in quicksand in the Philippines.

Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, quicksand

Some things bond you for life, and apparently, saving someone who is drowning in quicksand is one of them. While appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Emilio Estevez recalled the time when Laurence Fishburne saved him from drowning in quicksand in the Philippines.

Emilio Estevez and Laurence Fishburne were both 14 when they met for the first time in the Philippines. Emilio’s father, Martin Sheen, was filming Apocalypse Now at the time, which also featured Fishburne in a supporting role. The pair had only known each other for a few days when they came across a small boat. “[Fishburne] says, ‘Hey there’s this little boat, let’s go out on it.’ I said, ‘Sure.’ We were both 14 at the time,” Estevez said. “So we were out on this boat together, and we started getting too close to the shore and I said, ‘Well, let me jump out, I’ll push us offshore. I jumped out, and it was like quicksand mud.” Estevez continued, “I was sinking, and I just saw Fishburne just looking at me going, ‘Grab my hand!’ and he pulled me back onto the boat. We were bonded ever since.

Emilio Estevez and Laurence Fishburne naturally didn’t tell Martin Sheen about their close call in the quicksand (they were 14, after all). Sheen didn’t learn about the incident until decades later when he read about it in the father-son memoir they wrote together, Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son. Sheen said that he then “called Mr. Fishburne to thank him for saving my son’s life.

Laurence Fishburne was most recently seen starring alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4. The sequel follows John Wick as he uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes. Fishburne reprised his role of The Bowery King, which he played in the previous two movies. It was revealed earlier today that John Wick: Chapter 4 will be available on Digital on May 23rd, followed by a Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD release on June 13th. Emilio Estevez was last seen in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+, but he exited the series after the first season.

Source: The Jennifer Hudson Show

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Based in Canada, Kevin Fraser has been a news editor with JoBlo since 2015. When not writing for the site, you can find him indulging in his passion for baking and adding to his increasingly large collection of movies that he can never find the time to watch.