Martin Sheen stops at Joe T. Garcia’s as he shoots movie in Fort Worth
Joe Lancarte, one of the family owners of Joe T. Garcia’s, had heard Martin Sheen could soon be dropping into the Fort Worth Mexican restaurant because he’s shooting a movie nearby. But he didn’t know when.
Then, Monday night, Sheen walked in.
“I was like, ‘Oh crap, that’s Martin Sheen!” Lancarte said Tuesday.
The actor, known for roles like President Bartlet on “The West Wing” and Captain Willard in “Apocalypse Now,” gave the staff a thrill and added to the reputation of celebrities coming into the iconic Fort Worth spot. He was with his friend Matt Clark, an actor with a long list of credits in TV shows and movies, and a regular at Joe T. Garcia’s.
Sheen has been cast in the forthcoming “12 Mighty Orphans,” which began shooting in North Texas this month. The film, adopted from the book by Jim Dent, focuses on the Masonic Home Mighty Mites, a group of 12 scrawny orphans who defied the odds and became a successful Texas high school football team, according to Deadline.
The orphans were all outweighed by at least 30 pounds by their opponents, according to Deadline, but head coach Rusty Russell’s leadership and inventive offense helped them make it to the state playoffs.
Luke Wilson has been cast as Russell, while Sheen is playing Doc Hall, his assistant coach. Hall was a country doctor who served the orphans and never took a paycheck, according to Deadline, until he brought Russell to the orphanage and became his assistant coach.
Robert Duvall has also been cast in the movie as Mason Hawk, a freemason and an orphan who inspires the Mighty Mites, according to Deadline.
Lancarte said Wilson, the star of the film, has come to Joe T. Garcia’s many times before when he’s been in town, even bringing his actor brother, Owen Wilson. He last came to the restaurant in mid-October amid shooting for “12 Mighty Orphans.”
Recently, Lancarte heard from Clark’s wife, a friend of his, about Sheen’s plan to come to the restaurant, he said. He had met Sheen once before and remembered him fondly.
Though he wanted to give the 79-year-old actor space Monday night, Lancarte greeted him and discovered he’s as “easy-going,” “down-to-earth” and nice as he remembered, he said. They talked about all the famous people who have come into the restaurant, he said, and at one point Sheen asked if he could watch the news on NBC.
When Sheen reached the end of his meal, Lancarte asked him if they could take a photo together and he obliged.
“This is a family-owned business,” Lancarte said. “It means the world to us.”
He plans to put up a photo of Sheen in the restaurant, having him join the likes of John Wayne, Garth Brooks and Troy Aikman.
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 12:04 PM.
