nprfreshair:nprfreshair:To Make ‘The Godfather’ His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A St
nprfreshair:nprfreshair:To Make ‘The Godfather’ His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio BattleCoppola spoke to Fresh Air’s Terry Gross about how the studio didn’t want him to cast Marlon Brando in the title role:“The film was only budgeted for $2.5 million. You have to understand, it’s not like we could throw money around. My decision to make it in the ‘40s and have period cars and shoot in New York was already impacting the cost, so that’s one of the reasons why I was so unpopular, but [the studio] also hated my casting ideas. They hated Al Pacino for the role of Michael and they hated Marlon Brando for the role of the Godfather. I was told categorically by the president of Paramount, “Francis, as a the president of Paramount Pictures, I tell you here and now, Marlon Brando will never appear in this motion picture and I forbid you to bring it up again.” …When he said, “I forbid you to bring it up again,” I feigned that I just fell on the floor, on the carpet, and then I said, “What am I supposed to do if you tell me I can’t even discuss it? How can I be a director if the part I think should be cast — you won’t even let me talk about it?”They said, “Alright, we’ll tell you it this way: 1) If he will do the movie for free, 2) if he will do a screen test and 3) if he will put up a $1 million bond that he will in no way have any misbehavior that costs the overrun of the picture budget. Then you can do it.” So I said, “I accept,” … meaning now I can talk about it.”Our Best of 2016 series continues… We’re rebroadcasting Terry’s recent conversation with Francis Ford Coppola about the making of The Godfather. -- source link
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