Who turned down the godfather role?

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 first choice for Godfather?

Sergio Leone, and not Francis Ford Coppola was the original choice to direct The Godfather. Being an Italian-American the production heads thought Leone was the best person to direct the epic saga of an Italian immigrant's rise to godfatherhood in America.
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Who was originally offered the role of Michael Corleone?

Numerous actors, many of whom were bankable stars, were considered to play Michael. From Jack Nicholson to Warren Beatty to 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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What actor turned down The Godfather role?

Jack Nicholson - Micheal Corleone, The Godfather (1972)

However, Nicholson turned down the role. He had, at the same time, received offers for The Last Detail and Chinatown, which he thought were more interesting projects.
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Who tried out for the role of The Godfather?

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.
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The Godfather: How Michael Corleone Evolves

Who didn t want Al Pacino in Godfather?

"The studio didn't want Al Pacino at all," Keaton said, noting that she was cast before him in the Francis Ford Coppola classic.
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What actor turned down Forrest Gump?

So, why did Chappelle turn it down? He explains in an old comedy set that he did not want to portray certain racial stereotypes that he believed would propel his career in the wrong direction (via Looper).
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How much did Brando get paid for Godfather?

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.
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What role did Jack Nicholson turn down in The Godfather?

Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather because he believed that Italians should play Italians and Indians should play Indians.
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What role did Pacino turn down?

Al Pacino could easily refuse the offer to play Han Solo in “Star Wars.” The Oscar winner revealed that he turned down the 1977 film despite being offered “so much money” for the role.
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Who was originally cast as Luca Brasi?

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.
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Did Sylvester Stallone audition for The Godfather?

Sylvester Stallone has become one of the biggest stars in the history of Hollywood, but even he couldn't get everything he wanted as he was rejected when he asked to be an extra in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.
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Why did Coppola want Al Pacino?

“When I actually read the 'Godfather' book, I kept imagining him,” Coppola said in a separate interview. “And I didn't have a second choice. It was, for me, always Al Pacino. That's the reason why I was so tenacious about getting him to play Michael.
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What does Al Pacino think of The Godfather?

Al Pacino Thinks the First 'Godfather' Is “More Entertaining” Than 'Part II': “It's Really Storytelling At Its Best” I will have to vote for the first one being better the second one. I love the second one too, but the first one is better told. Part three should have quickly followed part two.
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Why wasn t Robert De Niro in The First 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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Why does Michael Corleone always have a handkerchief?

The punch to Michael's face broke his cheek bone which gave him a permanent black eye (and caused his sinuses to continually run - hence the use of a handkerchief all the time) until he got back to America and had surgery to fix it (Freddie says, "that doctor did a good job.")
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Did Frank Sinatra try to shut down the making of The Godfather?

Regardless of Frank Sinatra's protests and attempts to block its production, as dramatized in The Offer, there was nothing he could really do to prevent The Godfather movies from being made.
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Why wasn t Robert Duvall in The Last Godfather?

Robert Duvall turned down the $1 million that the studio had offered to re-create his role of Tom Hagen. Duvall did not feel that his proposed salary was commensurate with what Al Pacino and Diane Keaton were getting ($5 million and $1.5 million, respectively). The character was subsequently written out.
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Why wasn t Robert Duvall in The Last Godfather movie?

As the famous story goes, Duvall wanted to be paid a comparable sum to what Pacino was getting, and when he received word that he wasn't, he declined. This was arguably the most devastating hit to The Godfather Part III, and the finished product sorely missed the gravitas of his presence.
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Who was highest paid actor in Godfather?

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.
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Who inherited Marlon Brando money?

Legendary Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando left the bulk of his estate (worth approximately $26 million) to his producer, other associates, and his longtime housekeeper, Angela Borlaza. Brando created a valid last will and testament.
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What did Al Pacino get paid for The Godfather?

In terms of his career earnings, Al Pacino's first big check came in 1972 for an estimate $35,000 for his role as Michael Corleone. In today's money, that's around the same as $215,000, which is a small fortune for the regular citizen.
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Who turned down the role of Indiana Jones?

Tom Selleck: Indiana Jones in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'

Harrison Ford took the lead role in the franchise as the archeologist, but it could've been Tom Selleck. Karen Allen, who played Marion Ravenwood opposite Ford as Indiana Jones, revealed the Friends alum's TV career forced him to turn down the gig.
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What role did Kevin Costner turned down?

Kevin Costner was offered the part of the main character Andy Dufresne in the The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He wanted to work on Waterworld (1995). Costner has since said that he strongly regrets letting Tim Robbins take the role.
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What movies did James Caan turn down?

During Caan's peak years of stardom, he rejected a series of starring roles that proved to be successes for other actors, in films including M*A*S*H, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs. Kramer ("it was such middle class bourgeois baloney"), Apocalypse ...
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