Turning Down Roles & Making Demands

One of the major issues in casting in modern Hollywood is actors playing characters of different ethnicities, cultures, etc., Bradley Cooper’s upcoming film Maestro had been dogged by complaints that Leonard Bernstein should not be played by someone who isn’t Jewish. In what for virtually any other actor would have been considered turning down a career-defining role Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather because he thought “Italians should play Italians” and he had no business taking on such a part. Jack Nicholson already had a couple of career-defining roles so perhaps that made it easier to pass.

War films have been a staple of cinema since the beginning of cinema and much as been said about whether can you have an “anti-war” war film. One film that few people would call anti-war was Top Gun, which sometimes blurred the line between an exciting war film and a recruiting ad for the American military. Matthew Modine was originally considered for the role of Maverick, ultimately played by Tom Cruise, but Modine passed on the film because of his anti-war politics. Instead, Modine took the lead role of Joker in Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick’s devastating attack on American military culture and the Vietnam War.

When James Cromwell was offered the part of Logan Roy’s brother Ewan in Succession, he had a few conditions, the most important being that Ewan would be ideologically opposed to everything Logan Roy and his company stood for. He lambasted Logan for lowering the public discourse, cheapening culture, climate change denial and more. This matches Cromwell’s own politics and meant a great deal to him. Given that, it seems that the Succession writers feel much the same way it probably wasn’t too difficult to accommodate Cromwell.

Much missed comedic actor Robin Williams refused to take part in Aladdin 2 after a falling out with Disney. Williams had been excited to be in Aladdin but did not like the marketing campaigns that came with Disney films, he didn’t want to be featured in millions and millions of toys, posters etc. Disney agreed but the subsequent merchandising storm that followed had Williams feel Disney had broken their agreement with him and wouldn’t have anything to do with the sequel.

Awards

One of the most famous examples of an actor refusing an award was Marlon Brando when he refused to be present for his Best Actor Oscar win for his role in The Godfather. Instead of attending Brando sent Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather to collect the award, citing Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans as his reason for refusing it. So shocking was this to some people at the time that John Wayne threatened her and he had to be restrained by security guards. To further complicate matters members of Sacheen’s own family have stated that the family has no Native American heritage.

Brando’s refusal came only two years after George C Scott turned down an Oscar for Patton on the grounds that he didn’t believe actors should compete for awards, describing the ceremony as a “two-hour meat parade”. Just to complete the set the only other person to turn down an Oscar was screenwriter Dudley Nichols in 1935 due to there being a writer’s strike.

Actors will turn down awards and roles for all sorts of reasons, it needn’t necessarily be of political beliefs or a moral stance, and for such an insecure career it must be a difficult decision to turn down a lucrative role or an award you’ve spent your entire career striving for.

Also Read: Hollywood & The Military: A Special Relationship

The post Hollywood’s Moral Stand: Actors Who Refused Roles and Awards for Ethical Reasons appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Spoiler Warning – Huge spoilers for The Godfather trilogy

Vito Corleone

The Godfather Part I and Part II are often considered two of the best films ever made (and I would agree with that assessment), bringing together a truly fantastic cast with Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro winning Oscars for their portrayal of Vito Corleone. So clear is the love for these films there is a Family Guy sketch about how The Godfather is perfect. 

The Oscars are by no means a perfect measure of quality but it is interesting to think about why two portrayals of the same character were so well-received. The Godfather Part I introduces us to the character of Vito Corleone, the most powerful crime boss in New York, respected and feared, The Godfather Part II is very much an origins story for Vito. In this film we see Vito Corleone (he still has the surname Andolini at this point) as a boy, fleeing Sicily in fear of his life, coming to America, alone and trying to make his way in the world. He has a difficult life and we see how he is slowly drawn into a life of crime. Whilst Vito is a criminal figure there is a contrast between the far more restrained figure of Vito compared to his son Michael. Vito genuinely takes his role as a protector of the Italian-American community seriously yet Michael seems less concerned with this and more concerned just with power. When Michael is Godfather he radiates menace, whereas there is more of a statesman feel to Brando’s Vito.

Why Is This Character So Memorable?

To look at the actual performances – Marlon Brando is understated and calm but gives off the power and authority of the position. The first scene of The Godfather Part I sums up so much of what Vito Corleone is about; how he insists on there be justice, how he is offended that someone is trying to hire him to commit murder rather than to be his friend and ask for help. Not far into the movie Brando’s Vito is nearly killed and never recovers his strength with his other family members taking his place but he still exudes authority and gives wise counsel.

De Niro’s Vito tells the story through the other end of the telescope. It starts with a powerless child with no family sent to another country so he isn’t killed and his name taken away at Ellis Island. Part of what comes across in this film is that it was very hard for Italian-American immigrants not to be involved in the Mafia, De Niro’s Vito loses his job as his employer has to give it to a friend of the local Mafia representative. The motivations of De Niro’s Vito are not entirely clear – when he kills Don Fanucci there is an element of this is a bad guy but is his ambition also coming into play? Far more understandable is when De Niro’s Vito travels to Sicily to finally take revenge on the man who killed his family. De Niro’s Vito is also portrayed as someone who almost fell into being a gangster, with people coming to him for help with their problems. Brilliantly De Niro portrayed a man who seemed like a decent person, certainly before his life of crime starts he just seemed nice. Then there is obvious reluctance De NiroVito has to take up this position of power.

There is certainly a connection between Brando’s Vito and De Niro’sVito and this is important as De Niro’s job was not to just play a character but make it seem like he was the younger version of a character.

Vito’s relationship with his children is also a crucial part of the character. Brando’s Vito has many brilliant scenes with or about his children – talking to Michael about what hopes he had for him away from crime, to his heartbreak at the death of Sonny. With De Niro’s Vito we see a man who is very preoccupied with providing for his family and ensuring they are safe. Vito’s story in The Godfather Part II takes places over many years and the passage of time is tracked by the presence of his children. And, of course, The Godfather Part I starts with the wedding of Vito’s daughter.

The End Of The Story

Brando Vito’s story ends with his death and playing with a grandchild was probably a better way to go than many of the other options for a Mafia Boss. De NiroVito’s story ends as he is ascending to power, his revenge fulfilled and ready to lead a life on his own terms.

Vito Corleone is one of the most enduring characters in cinema – played by two of the greatest actors in the history of film and so it’s no surprise the performances were rewarded with Oscars.

Also Read: 30 Years On: The Godfather

Read More: Oscar Worthy Characters : The Joker

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The post Oscar Worthy Characters [Part 1]: Vito Corleone appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.