Was Al Pacino the first choice to play Michael Corleone?

Numerous actors, many of whom were bankable stars, were considered to play Michael. From Jack Nicholson to Warren Beatty and Robert Redford, some of Hollywood's biggest stars were either offered the role or turned it down. Coppola held out for Pacino, but Paramount made a move to cast James Caan as Michael.
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Who was originally supposed to play Michael Corleone?

Coppola continued to audition actors for Michael including Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, David Carradine and Martin Sheen. The studios pushed James Caan for Michael but he wasn't Sicilian enough for Coppola (Caan is Jewish). “There was a movement not to have me in the part,” Pacino acknowledged.
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Who almost played Michael Corleone in The Godfather?

Warren Beatty was offered the chance to direct, produce and star as Michael but turned it down. {Can you imagine Warren Beatty directing the Godfather?) Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson both turned down the role of Michael.
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Who turned down the role of Michael Corleone?

Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather is iconic and synonymous with the character's image in the minds of audiences. Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone because he believed that actors should stick to playing characters of their own ethnicity.
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Who was the first choice to play Don Corleone?

Hard as it may be to believe, Brando was not the first choice to play Don Vito Corleone. The British legend Sir Laurence Olivier was the first actor to be offered the role. Sir Laurence pleaded date issues.
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Al Pacino on Michael Corleone: "I Never Saw Him as a Gangster" (Mar. 19, 2015) | Charlie Rose

Who didn't want Al Pacino in The Godfather?

Diane Keaton said she was cast before Al Pacino in the 1972 classic gangster flick "The Godfather." The actress said Pacino was not the first choice to star as Michael Corleone in the Francis Ford Coppola film. "Nobody wanted Al Pacino.
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Who almost played Sonny in The Godfather?

Anthony Perkins not only auditioned for Sonny, but also for Tom Hagen. Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character Michael Corleone (Sonny's youngest brother), while Carmine Caridi was signed as Sonny. However Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead.
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Why did Jack Nicholson refuse The Godfather?

The primary reason why Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather was that the presently retired Nicholson, who identified himself as being Irish throughout his career, felt that the role of the Italian-American Michael should be played by an Italian actor.
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Was Marlon Brando first choice for The Godfather?

Marlon Brando's portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" is considered one of his best performances, despite not being the first choice for the role.
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How old was Al Pacino in The Original Godfather?

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.
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Did Al Pacino want to do Godfather III?

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.
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Why didn't they like Al Pacino in The Godfather?

Posting a portion of Al Pacino's audition tape for the role of Michael Corleone to his Instagram account, the director stated: “The interesting thing here, was a reason given to me against casting Pacino was not only was he too short, but also too 'scruffy'.”
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Who was meant to play Mary Corleone?

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.
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Who turned down the role of Johnny Fontane?

Damone eventually declined the role because of a salary dispute and also because he did not want to provoke the mob or anger Frank Sinatra, whom Damone profoundly respected. Ultimately, the part of Johnny Fontane was given to Martino.
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Who was Hyman Roth in The Godfather based on?

Roth is a Jewish mobster and investor, and a business partner of Vito Corleone and later his son Michael Corleone. He is based on notorious mobster and gambling kingpin Meyer Lansky. It was Al Pacino who suggested Lee Strasberg, his former acting teacher, for the role.
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Who was Don Corleone modeled after?

Vito Corleone is based on a composite of mid-20th-century New York Mafia figures Carlo Gambino, Frank Costello, Joe Bonanno, and Joe Profaci. Mario told me that all of the great dialogue, those quotable lines he put into the mouth of Don Corleone, were actually spoken by Mario's mother.
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Who tried out for The Godfather?

Numerous actors, many of whom were bankable stars, were considered to play Michael. From Jack Nicholson to Warren Beatty and Robert Redford, some of Hollywood's biggest stars were either offered the role or turned it down. Coppola held out for Pacino, but Paramount made a move to cast James Caan as Michael.
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Why wasn't Robert De Niro in The Godfather?

Robert De Niro was almost in “The Godfather”

De Niro had originally been cast in the role of Paulie, but left the movie to take a role in the film “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.” The reason there was an opening in that film? Pacino had left the movie to play Michael.
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What word was intentionally omitted from the film The Godfather?

A civil-rights league ensured the words "mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" were excluded from the film. With concern that the film would portray harmful Italian stereotypes, the Italian-American Civil Rights League held a rally in 1970 to protest and halt the production.
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Did Robert De Niro audition for Godfather?

Robert De Niro auditioned for the 1972 film The Godfather and was surprisingly rejected. Watch his audition tape. Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema. So it is quite hard to believe that he would have auditioned for something and did not land a role for the same.
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Why was Al Pacino chosen for The Godfather?

Pacino was Coppola's favorite for the role as he could picture him roaming the Sicilian countryside, and wanted an unknown actor who looked like an Italian-American.
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Did Michael Corleone love Apollonia?

Even when they walk together and she briefly stumbles, Michael catching her can be seen as a metaphor for exercising control. Later, in The Godfather Part III, Michael has a flashback about Apollonia. While he states that he loved her, it isn't clear if that is actually an honest admission.
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Why did Fredo betray Michael?

Fredo later betrays Michael after being approached by Johnny Ola (Dominic Chianese), an associate of rival crime boss Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg). Ola and Roth tell Fredo that Michael is being particularly difficult in business negotiations between Roth's organization and the Corleone family.
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Who killed Sonny Corleone?

Sonny being shot by Barzini hitmen.
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