Nicolas Cage Begged His Uncle Francis Ford Coppola to Cast Him in 'Godfather: Part III'

He made him an offer he could refuse

Photo by Nicolas Genin

BY Kaelen BellPublished Jan 7, 2022

In a recent THR actors roundtable with Andrew GarfieldJonathan MajorsPeter Dinklage, and Simon RexNicolas Cage revealed the limits of Hollywood nepotism, telling his fellow actors about the time he begged his uncle — acclaimed film director Francis Ford Coppola — to cast him in Godfather: Part III. You'll note that Cage does not appear in said film. 

Cage told the story after the group was asked about movies they would've loved to make: "This is a very embarrassing answer to your question, okay, because it involves family," Cage said. "So Uncle [Coppola] was doing Godfather III, and I said, 'I really think I ought to be in your movie, Uncle. I really think it's a good idea if you would cast me. I think I could play this part.'"

The part in question was that of Vincent Corleone, son of Sonny Corleone (James Caan) and his mistress Lucy Mancini (Jeannie Linero). The role was ultimately played by Andy Garcia, who got an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Apparently, Coppola was already set on casting Garcia, but Cage kept pushing: "I said, 'But I just see myself more as James Caan's son, and he's playing Sonny's son. He's not playing Michael's son. He's Sonny's son. I just feel a little more James Caan,'" Cage said. "It just wasn't going to happen. So that was a movie I didn't get let in that I really wanted to be in."

Apparently Hollywood really is a tough business, even when you're born into it.

However, Cage is doing just fine (so long as Rain Man doesn't come back to finish the job) and you can catch him in Tom Gormican's upcoming The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

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