Anne Bancroft refused Francis Ford Coppola's offer to star as the Corleone family matriarch. Warren Beatty was considered to play the part of Michael Corleone. Karen Black auditioned for the female lead role. Robert Blake was reportedly turned down for a role in The Godfather.
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.
Who was originally offered the role of Michael Corleone?
The part of Michael Corleone was first offered to Dustin Hoffman, who turned it down due to his involvement in Bob Fosse's Lenny. Hoffman was at the peak of his career after successful hits such as The Graduate and Straw Dogs.
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.
When Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Pictures set out to cast the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, they had a disagreement. The studio wanted Robert Redford, Warren Beatty or Ryan O'Neal.
Why The Four Bosses Failed To Predict Michael Corleone’s Rise To Power?
Who was considered for the role of 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.
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.
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.
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.
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'.”
Who was Jack Nicholson going to play in The Godfather?
He believed Chinatown and The Last Detail had stronger scripts than The Godfather and The Sting. Although initially interested in playing Michael Corleone, Nicholson felt he was the wrong choice for the role.
Tall and solidly built, this Italian-American professional wrestler turned actor was born Lenny Passaforo in Brooklyn, New York, and is best remembered for his first on-screen role as the not too bright but ever loyal bodyguard Luca Brasi in.
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.
And the person who was paid the highest and played one key character ended up getting fired from the franchise when the turn for The Godfather 2 came. This actor was none other than Richard Castellano, who was riding high waves of fame during the time of the first installment of the franchise.
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.
Why was James Caan cast as Sonny in The Godfather even though he isn't Italian? Originally Caan was to be cast as the main character Michael Corleone, while Carmine Caridi was signed as Sonny. However, Coppola demanded that the role of Michael be played by Al Pacino instead.
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.
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.
He auditioned for the part of Paulie Gatto, the character who works under Corleone caporegime Clemenza (Richard Castellano) and famously meets his end at the wheel of a car. According to Peter Biskind, De Niro was also considered for a number of other roles after his auditions, including Michael Corleone.
In 1971, The New York Times reported that Ruddy removed the words mafia and la cosa nostra from the film's script, which was written by Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola.
Yet one of its most memorable lines -- “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” -- was entirely improvised and, but for a moment of inspiration, might not have happened. The scene in which it appears encapsulates so much of what makes The Godfather such a triumph.
In the novel, Fredo's primary weakness is his womanizing, a habit he develops after moving to Las Vegas and which earns his father's disfavor. In the films, Fredo's feelings of personal inadequacy and his inability to act effectively on his own behalf are character flaws leading to his demise.
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.
How much did Marlon Brando make for The Godfather?
Marlon Brando portrayed the iconic character of Vito Corleone in the first installment of The Godfather. Brando earned a salary of at least $250,000 for his role in the film [1].
