The late James Caan considered himself a Jewish cowboy from New York. Caan played the hot-headed son of the Corleone family, Sonny Corleone, in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime film The Godfather. However, Caan was alleged to be more like his angry and violent character in real life, too. Caan was accused of being abusive towards his girlfriend Sheila Marie Ryan in the 1980s.
Caan revealed in an old interview that he hated the ‘big macho slob’ image that was attached to him by the media. Interestingly, the Get Smart actor was one of the first choices of the studio to play Michael Corleone instead of Al Pacino.
James Caan Hated His ‘Big Macho Slob’ Image In The Media
During an old interview with Rolling Stone, The Godfather actor James Caan shared some of his controversial opinions that made him unpopular in the public eye. The outlet reported that Caan made a comment on his girlfriend Sheila Ryan’s attire when appearing for the interview. When Ryan entered the room, Caan told her:
Why do you have to walk around with your little boobs hanging out for the whole world to see? It’s disgusting.
Ryan didn’t seem to care, waved him goodbye, and left. Caan went on to rant about how such opinions of his were not taken well by certain media. He shared that his image was that of a “big macho slob pig who treats women badly.” He shared that he only needed to be concerned with how he treated a woman and how she treated him.
Caan clarified that he had no problems with a woman having a career. But he added that he couldn’t be in love with a woman who boxed for a living. Caan shared his controversial opinions:
I only have to be concerned with how I treat a woman and how she treats me. I say I believe that if a woman is going to be a mother, she should act like a mother, and it is immediately misconstrued that I think all women belong in the kitchen. I have no problems with a woman who wants a career. I just don’t think I could be in love with a woman who boxes for a living.
Caan further shared that if wearing the pants and driving the car in a relationship made him macho, he accepted that label. He shared that he was one of those guys who would slap another man if they played smart with his girlfriend. He also shared that he favored the woman taking care of the man in a relationship. Caan continued:
If macho means I wear the pants, then I’m macho. If macho means I’m going to drive the car, then I’m macho. And if you’re my girl and someone’s smart to you, I’ll slap him in the mouth. That’s me. There’s just something kind of nice about a woman taking care of her man. There I go, I’m in trouble again.
None of Caan’s statements would have flown in the modern-day environment. However, his controversial actions far exceeded his misogynistic views. He was arrested and released after allegedly pulling a gun on a rap artist (LA Times). He was also alleged on several occasions to have ties to several mafia families (The New York Times).
James Caan Was Studio’s First Choice To Play Michael Corleone
Al Pacino actually auditioned for the role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather before Francis Ford Coppola rooted for him as Michael. Even Al Pacino thought Coppola “was really nuts” to push for his casting as Michael (via Metro US). Paramount Pictures didn’t support Coppola’s decision initially and cast James Caan as Michael and Carmine Caridi as Sonny, respectively (via Vanity Fair).
But Coppola stood to his ground and pushed for Pacino until the studio agreed to give him a go at the auditions. The Scarface actor shared that he had to screen test several times for the role before the studio conceded. However, Paramount had one demand. They wanted Coppola to cast Caan in the role of Sonny since he impressed them with his audition.
The Godfather earned somewhere between $250 and $291 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). The trilogy films are now available for streaming on Paramount+.
