Tropicana Nov-Dec 2017 #116 Celebrating the Classics

GAME CHANGER
I just realised that
I don’t think I have a
crazy secret, and that’s
what makes it crazy,
right? – I guess I am
very generous with my
friends. My kids say to
me all the time to bring
it down
HOW LONG DID IT
TAKE FOR HIM TO
COME BACK WITH THE
GODFATHER THEN?
A year later, my phone
rings in my apartment,
I pick it up and someone
says, “Hey Al, hi.” I said,
“Who is this?” “This is
Francis.” He made an
impression, but it was
a year. My life was at a
strange place, but I said
thank you. “Francis, it’s
so good to hear you. How
are you?” He said, “I’m
pretty good. Listen, I just want you to know, I’m doing
‘The Godfather’.” And I said, “What’s the matter with
you.” There’s something wrong with him, because ‘The
Godfather’ was the biggest book, the biggest film and
then I thought, “It’s tough in Hollywood.” I thought that
it was very strange.
I said, “Well, that’s good Francis.” I was humouring
him (laughs). And I said, “That’s great.” He said, “Yes, it
is.” And I had read the book. It’s a great book, it’s very
entertaining. He says, “Yeah, I’ll tell ya, I’m thinking
of using you as Michael Corleone.” I’m thinking, “He’s
really nuts here.” I thought, “Ok, let me just think about
this for a second.” I flash on the book, and right away
I’m thinking, as an actor does, “Gee, it’s not a good role.
Sonny is the part I can play. It’s got meat in it. I could
really get out there and do what Jimmy (James Caan)
does and try to do it anyways. There I was, on the phone
with him, thinking, “I don’t think I can do it, Francis.” I
didn’t say that, I said, “Wow, that’s really--” I almost said
strange, but I didn’t. Anyway, that was it. I hung up the
phone and I thought, “This is either a dream or a joke,
but sure enough it was real.”
WAS THE STUDIO IN FAVOUR OF YOU GETTING CAST
AS MICHAEL CORLEONE?
No, somebody said, “Brando? Pacino? Over my dead
body.” Anyway, Francis, being as clever as he is, he
actually changed the schedule. He took the Sollozzo
scene, where Michael shoots Sollozzo and the captain,
and he puts it up front. It wasn’t scheduled for that day.
The studio was done with me. I was gone. He showed
them the Sollozzo scene and they kept me.
THANKS TO FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA?
Yes. When a director wants you for a part, you’re lucky.
It’s really something. It’s like somebody who likes you.
You don’t know why they like you, they just like you, so
you sort-of like them. He likes me so much, I don’t know,
I like him. So, he wanted me so much I thought maybe
I can play this role. I laboured over that, but the studio
didn’t want me and they didn’t want me after they hired
me. While we were filming, Francis was concerned.
WHY?
I was new to film. I didn’t know what to do, but I had a
sense of this character because I would think about it all
the time. I was living on 90th and Broadway and I would
walk to the Village and back every day. It’s not a big thing,
TM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
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