Marlon Brando was one of the greatest actors in the industry, but he was also infamously known for being difficult to work with. When Mario Puzo first showed interest in having Brando play Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Paramount executives were totally against the idea. This was partly due to his temper on film sets, and partly due to his string of failed movies.
Brando was also Francis Ford Coppola’s favorite, but the director also eyed Laurence Olivier for the role. The studio approached Olivier, but the legendary actor refused the role due to a sickness. Paramount considered a list of famous actors for the role, before giving in to Coppola’s demand to audition Brando for the role.
Paramount Didn’t Want Marlon Brando As Vito Corleone
When Laurence Olivier became unavailable for the role, it began a months-long debate between Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Pictures over Marlon Brando. Coppola insisted on casting Brando, while the studio tried their best to avoid casting the short-tempered actor. Paramount’s Robert Evans pushed to cast either Carlo Ponti or Ernest Borgnine for the role. (via NPR)
After Olivier, the studio also vehemently campaigned for Orson Welles in the role. At the time, Welles even tried to convince The Godfather author Mario Puzo that he was perfect for the role. The stretched-out negotiations over Brando’s casting strained the relationship between Coppola and the studio. In the end, it came down to Evans’ choice of Borgnine and Coppola’s choice of Brando.
The president of Paramount at the time, Stanley Jaffe, placed the condition that Brando should perform a screen test for the role. Coppola knew that Brando wouldn’t agree to a screen test and hence tricked the actor into doing a “makeup test.” The Superman actor did his best for his ‘makeup test,’ with a cotton ball in his mouth and darkened hair.
When Paramount reviewed the screen test footage, they hardly recognized Brando under the makeup and were thoroughly impressed with his efforts. Coppola was allowed to cast Brando, but it came with a caveat. The Last Tango in Paris actor had to lower his salary and sign a bond with the studio so as not to cause any delay in production. For the role, Brando earned $1.6 million including a backend cut.
Marlon Brando Almost Got Francis Ford Coppola Fired From The Godfather
After the casting, Marlon Brando proved to be somewhat of a headache for Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola had to justify his long-standing debate with Paramount and deliver on Brando’s performance in the film. However, soon after his casting was fixed, Brando threatened to quit when Burt Reynolds was approached for the role of Michael Corleone. The feud between the two actors luckily didn’t hurt the movie as Reynolds turned down his role.
When Brando first appeared in front of the camera, he struggled to deliver his lines. The lighting in the scene also posed an issue, which necessitated a retake of the scene. However, Coppola was not allowed to film another take. He found out that the retake didn’t happen as the studio had plans to fire both him and Brando in the following week. (via Empire).
The Apocalypse Now director then did the unthinkable and fired members of his crew whom he believed were plotting against him. He was then able to complete the filming alongside a supportive team. The mafia-style move ultimately paid off, as the movie grossed somewhere between $250 million and $291 million, becoming the highest-grossing film at that time. Paramount also didn’t have any issues after Coppola fully took charge of his film.
Marlon Brando’s Oscar-winning performance in The Godfather can be now enjoyed by streaming the film on Paramount+.
