One of the most influential films in cinema history, The Godfather, faced several challenges before its release with the cast and crew we see today. While it was common knowledge at the time that Marlon Brando was a difficult actor to work with, director Francis Ford Coppola was determined to cast him as Vito Corleone.
Brando was having a string of unsuccessful films at the time and his reputation didn’t help his case. However, the studio was impressed after his audition, during which he performed with a cotton ball in his mouth. Once the filming began, Brando’s hiring presented several headaches for Coppola.
The Godfather Director Was On The Verge Of Getting Fired
Marlon Brando was cast as Vito Corleone in The Godfather under two conditions. The Superman actor had to lower his salary and sign a bond with Paramount Studios so as not to cause any delay in production. After his casting was fixed, Brando threatened to quit when Burt Reynolds, with whom he did not get along, was approached for the role of Michael Corleone. Eventually, Reynolds turned down the role, but Brando continued to be a concern for Francis Ford Coppola.
On the first day of shooting, the Last Tango in Paris actor struggled to deliver his lines. People also complained to Coppola that the scene appeared too dark and Brando was barely visible. However, the studio didn’t allow another take for the scene. Coppola, in his inquiry, found out that they were not interested in a second take, because they were considering replacing him the next week.
Coppola initially had a lot of demands from Paramount, who was also going through a rough period at the time. The Patton director’s demand for a larger budget, costly New York locations, and the casting of Brando and Al Pacino were all granted by the studio. However, Brando’s first day could have been a breaking point for the studio.
Francis Ford Coppola Saved Himself By Pulling A ‘Corleone’ Move
In the climax of The Godfather, Michael Corleone ascends to his father’s position in one of cinema’s most iconic scenes. Michael orders Corleone hitmen to murder the heads of the Five Families. Coppola pulled a similar mafia move within his crew, only, he didn’t hire hitmen to kill anybody. The Apocalypse Now director fired people who were working against him on the film. Coppola revealed in an interview with Empire:
“I just immediately fired all the people who were in my team who were lobbying to get me out. I went up there and shot the scene [with Brando] a second time, and saved myself, basically, by firing all the people who were working to fire me. It was very much like that: it was touch-and-go the whole production. There was the perception that I had some power. But I really had no power at all.”
Coppola’s mafia-style move paid off and he was able to complete the film, which turned out to be a renaissance for Brando, Paramount, and American cinema. The Godfather garnered somewhere between $250 and $291 million at the box office and remained the highest-grossing film in Hollywood for a long time.
Fans can enjoy Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, now available for streaming on Paramount Plus.
Source: Empire
