 To make Gunnery Sgt. Hartmanns performance and the recruits  reactions as convincing as possible, Matthew Modine (qv), Vincent  DOnofrio (I) (qv), and the other actors playing recruits never met  R. Lee Ermey (qv) prior to filming. Stanley Kubrick (qv) also  saw to it that Ermey didnt fraternize with the actors between  takes.