Al Pacino was 31 when he played Michael Corleone in The Godfather, but the character was only 25. In The Godfather Part III, Pacino was 49 while the character, Michael Corleone, was 59 years old. Despite the age difference, Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy remains iconic.
Follows Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, as he seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire. Follows Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, as he seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire.
How old was Al Pacino when The Godfather was made?
Al Pacino, who portrayed Michael, was born in 1940, so when The Godfather was filmed in 1971, Al was 31, just a few years older than the character he portrayed.
The Godfather II was filmed in 1974 and The Godfather III in 1990, a span of 16 years for the actors. In movie time, The Godfather III opens in 1979. Since Michael and Kay (Diane Keaton) Corleone split in 1959 (towards the end of The Godfather II), about 19-20 years have passed.
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. He also received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Love and Other Strangers.
According to The Godfather Part III, Hagen has already died before the time frame of the film, which is 1979–1980. There is no specific indication in the film as to when or how he died, except that it was prior to his son, Andrew (John Savage), being ordained a Roman Catholic priest.
In 1985, development of The Godfather Part III stalled because the cast of the first two films demanded more money to reprise their roles and because Paramount Pictures decided that a third film could not be made without Coppola's involvement.
Winona Ryder was originally cast as Mary Corleone but had to leave the film due to doctor-recommended reasons, which led Francis Ford Coppola to cast his daughter, Sofia Coppola.
Al Pacino was offered $5 million to reprise his role as Michael. But Pacino wanted $7 million plus a percentage of the gross. Francis Ford Coppola refused. He threatened to rewrite the script by starting the story with Michael's funeral sequence instead of the film's introduction.
While his character may have spoken Italian on screen, Pacino himself did not speak fluent Italian during those iconic scenes [2]. Instead, he skillfully delivered his lines in the Sicilian dialect, adding a layer of authenticity and depth to the character [2].
He is also mentioned many times throughout the film; the dialogue makes it clear that Michael is tormented with guilt over ordering his brother's death, and that it has alienated him from his ex-wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), and his son, Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio), both of whom know the truth about Fredo's death.
The Godfather Part III received lukewarm reception for several reasons, including production troubles and the absence of an important character. Francis Ford Coppola's financial struggles led him to make another Godfather film despite not wanting to, contributing to the film's mixed reviews.
The Godfather Coda has been slimmed down to a watch time of 158 minutes, as opposed to the original which ran a total of 162 minutes. Apart from this, Coppola has slightly tweaked the film's pacing, as the reordering and complete absence of certain scenes add an aura of narrative clarity.
Nicolas Cage almost played Vincent, Sonny Corleone's son, in The Godfather Part III, as the actor, also Coppola's nephew, begged the director for the role. Unlike Sofia Coppola, however, Garcia was widely praised as Vincent, and he was even nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
Nicholson turned down The Godfather due to personal preferences, opting for projects he found more intriguing and personal. He believed Chinatown and The Last Detail had stronger scripts than The Godfather and The Sting.
Why was Sofia Coppola criticized for Godfather III?
The other criticism came from the performance itself, with critics calling her stiff, amateurish, and unconvincing, to name a few of the insults thrown her way.
After her brother's debut concert, the assassin Mosca tries to kill Michael. One bullet grazes Michael's shoulder, but the other accidentally hits Mary in the chest, fatally wounding her. Michael is devastated by Mary's death, and screams in torment while cradling her dead body.
Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is now approaching 60 and feels tremendous guilt for indulging in his ruthless ambition many years ago. Although his previous conquests have made him a very rich man, the thoughts of his children, their future, happiness, and his legacy are the only things keeping him going.
Please Note: This is a cancelled project, and thus non-canon. Following the mixed reaction of the third film, Francis Ford Coppola stated that the idea of a fourth had been discussed but Mario Puzo died on July 2, 1999, before they had a chance to write the film.
Fredo's decision is most likely a result of resentment toward Michael, by whom he felt he had been passed over. Michael was Fredo's "kid brother," and the fact that their father chose for Michael to take over the "family business" came as a great insult to Fredo, who was neither as intelligent nor as strong.
Johnny Depp's call to let The Godfather: Part III's studio know that Winona Ryder was too sick to work lost her the part in the film. In 1990, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder starred in Edward Scissorhands together and became one of Hollywood's greatest-ever heartthrob romances.
