Nobody other than Francis Ford Coppola wanted Al Pacino to play Micheal Corleone in
Perhaps it's not that hard to imagine Ernest Borgnine, pictured here in 1957, as Don Corleone in The Godfather. Other names floating around to play the Godfather ranged from Charles Bronson to Burt Lancaster to Orson Welles, who tried to convince Mario Puzo he was perfect for the role.
Diane Keaton Recalls How Studio 'Didn't Want Al Pacino at All' Before Casting Him in' The Godfather'
During his conversation with the Times, Francis noted how the casting of his daughter came to be, when Winona Ryder – who was originally cast to play Mary — dropped out after she got sick once in Rome to film the final installment.
Lenny Montana (born Leonardo Passafaro; March 13, 1926 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor who played the role of feared hitman Luca Brasi in The Godfather.
Nobody other than Francis Ford Coppola wanted Al Pacino to play Micheal Corleone in The Godfather. Paramount was set on a star like Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, or Jack Nicholson, with Nicholson even getting an offer for the part. However, Nicholson turned down the role.
Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather, as well as its 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he was portrayed by Lenny Montana, an ex-wrestler and former bodyguard and enforcer for the Colombo crime family.
Sofia Coppola, the daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, was cast in the role of Mary Corleone after several choices dropped out: Winona Ryder discontinued her involvement with the film due to nervous exhaustion, Julia Roberts due to scheduling conflicts, and Madonna was deemed too old for the part by some.
Ryder had just finished three movies back-to-back and (via Vanity Fair) dropped out of The Godfather 3 at the last minute due to “nervous exhaustion.” Her boyfriend at the time, Johnny Depp, called The Godfather 3 set to say Ryder was ill and couldn't come in for her scenes.
Sonny may be based on Bill Bonanno who was been groomed by his father Joe Bonanno to be Boss of the Bonanno family and when his father disappeared he led the family in a war against rival mobsters.
The studio also didn't want to cast Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, but then they saw his legendary screen test where he stuffed his mouth with Kleenex. The studio thought Marlon Brando would be a problem on set and thought of him as "toxic," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Marlon Brando badly needed a break when he received a letter from Mario Puzo, author of "The Godfather." He was in debt, hooked on Valium, and in danger of losing visitation rights to his kids. He also didn't want to act again, which made the debt problem a bit tricky (via Vanity Fair). Puzo's note read: Dear Mr.
Ultimately, Brando was paid $250,000 and a percentage of profits, reportedly netting about $2 million from the film. After the film's triumphant release, Brando, appeared on the covers of Time, Life and Newsweek and was prominently featured in Playboy, Ladies Home Journal, Rolling Stone, Vogue and other publications.
Biography. A distinguished character actor, Richard S. Castellano was the highest earning actor in The Godfather, whose fame outside the saga included playing Joe Girelli in The Super.
For his breakout role as Michael Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, Al Pacino was reportedly paid $35,000. This relatively small salary was due to him being a relative unknown at the time he was cast, though the fact that the movie launched his career most likely more than made up for the lack of upfront payment.
He may be one of the most popular stars of Hollywood, but actor Sylvester Stallone was once turned down as an extra in "The Godfather."
Hagen was originally intended to have been featured in The Godfather Part III, but was written out due to a salary dispute between Duvall and the film's producers. Coppola stated in the film's commentary that Duvall demanded the same salary as Al Pacino (who portrayed Michael Corleone).
JACK NICHOLSON explains why he turned down the lead roles in The Godfather (1972) and The Sting (1973). wait, Jack Nicholson was set to be the “lead” in 'The Godfather' film and he turned it down because he would not have had scenes with Marlon Brando..?
Nicolas Cage pleaded with Francis Ford Coppola to play Vincent in The Godfather Part III, and he would've nailed it, but the role went to Andy Garcia. Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III almost starred Nicolas Cage, which likely would have benefited the sequel and made it more memorable today.
Producer Robert Evans referred to Pacino as “that little dwarf.” He told Coppola “a runt will not play Michael.” Evans was concerned that Pacino's short stature would be a problem since Sonny Corleone was originally to be played by six foot four actor Carmine Caridi.
Pacino not only saved his role in The Godfather, he would go on to get an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, which was one of 11 the film received.
It could also be the odd inclusion of incest, the lazy writing of the script, the notoriously shoddy editing between scenes, or the fact that Coppola's heart simply wasn't in it, as he never wanted to make the film. Fans of the series ignore the third film for a reason, and each person has their own.
Career. Ruddy worked designing homes for a construction company, in Hackensack, New Jersey. After a short stint at Warner Brothers, brought about by a chance meeting with studio chief Jack L. Warner, Ruddy moved on to become a programmer trainee at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California.
Capone is featured in a segment of Mario Puzo's The Godfather as an ally of New York mob boss Salvatore Maranzano in which he sends two "button men" at the mob boss' request to kill Don Vito Corleone; arriving in New York, the two men are intercepted and brutally killed by Luca Brasi, after which Don Corleone sends a ...
In the book, Vito had smallpox, and the illness damaged his throat, making him forever speak more quietly and scratchily than would otherwise be the norm.