James Caan Got Painful Revenge on Francis Ford Coppola for Stealing His Food

TL;DR:

• James Caan grew up in the same neighborhood as Francis Ford Coppola.
• James Caan got back at Francis Ford Coppola for stealing his food.
• Francis Ford Coppola issued a statement after James Caan’s death.

James Caan and Francis Ford Coppola worked together on more than one movie, with their most famous collaboration being in The Godfather. The two men also grew up in the same neighborhood, so Caan felt close to the director. While working together on a film, Coppola consistently stole Caan’s lunch. Actor Jennifer Tilley explained how Caan got back at the director.

James Caan and Francis Ford Coppola grew up in the same neighborhood

Coppola and Caan both grew up in the same New York neighborhood, which allowed Caan creative freedom on the set of The Godfather.

“Francis was really good to me. I come from Sunnyside, Francis did too,” he told the A.V. Club in 2022. “His grandmother lived around the corner from me and we behaved in certain ways, so he let me go pretty much. And [Sonny Corleone, Caan’s character] tells people ‘bada bing’ and all that stuff, it was never written. I just did it and Francis let me go.”

The actor once got back at the director for stealing his food

Caan’s death in 2022 inspired an outpouring of tributes from those who had known him. One of these people was Tilley, who worked with Caan on the set of Jericho Gardens. 

“James Caan always had the funniest stories,” Tilley wrote in a tweet. “Once he told me Coppola had the habit of grabbing food off his plate & eating it, so one day he made a sandwich with very hot jalapeños between two pieces of buttered bread, & waited outside Coppola’s airstream …” 

Caan’s assumption that Coppola would take his sandwich was correct. Unfortunately for the director, he grabbed the sandwich without checking what was in it.

“Coppola came roaring out to direct the next scene, grabbed the sandwich off the plate & gobbled it down. Immediately tears started squirting out of his eyes & he started yelling ‘What is this? What did you do to me?!’ And Jimmy said meekly ‘Did I ask you to eat my sandwich? Did I?’”

Luckily, the prank had no impact on their friendship, and the pair remained close for years.

Francis Ford Coppola paid tribute to James Caan

After Caan’s death, Coppola issued a statement honoring his late friend. They worked together on The Godfather, Gardens of Stone, and Coppola’s debut feature film, The Rain People.

“Jimmy was someone who stretched through my life longer and closer than any motion picture figure I’ve ever known,” Coppola said, per Deadline. “From those earlier times working together on The Rain People, and throughout all the milestones of my life, his films and the many great roles he played will never be forgotten. He will always be my old friend from Sunnyside, my collaborator and one of the funniest people I’ve ever known.”