‘Kramer vs Kramer’ Is Not the Only Megahit James Caan Rejected Because He Was Sure They Would Flop
Actor James Caan, known for his award-winning portrayal of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, could have starred in other award-worthy movies. But he found films like Kramer vs. Kramer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Apocalypse Now to be “bourgeois” or “not visual.”
Caan notoriously turned down these megahits – including Superman – because he had an issue with at least one or more aspects of the films. Of course, all of the big hit movies Caan turned down became American cultural icons and established the careers of stars like Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Reeve, and more.
James Caan didn’t regret turning down ‘Apocalypse Now’
Caan had no regrets when it came to turning down Apocalypse Now. “It wasn’t going to be 16 weeks and we wanted money… and then Francis Ford Coppola said, ‘Listen Jimmy, I’ll tell you what, we’ll live in Manila and we’ll fly by helicopter (to the set),” he said according to Contact Music.
“I said, ‘That’s two things I hate – height and tse-tse flies… I can’t do this,” he added. “That was a wonderful picture, but that last 15 minutes was cerebral horsec**p… I don’t know what that meant.”
Apocalypse Now went on to win Golden Globes for director Francis Ford Coppola and stars Robert Duvall and Melvyn Douglas. Plus the film earned an Oscar for cinematography and sound mixing.
James Caan regretted some of his other acting decisions
While there was no turning back on Apocalypse Now, Caan viewed other roles in a different light years later. He shared his reasons for passing on Kramer vs. Kramer and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s.
“Kramer vs. Kramer, I looked at it and I said, ‘This is middle-class, bourgeois horsecrap! This is crap! Cut to a kid crying all the time.’ I’m a genius,” Caan said. “And then Cuckoo’s Nest: ‘This is not visual.'”
He also turned down Superman. Close friend and The Godfather co-star Marlon Brando, who starred as Superman’s biological father in the film tried to persuade Caan to join the film in the titular role. But Caan’s reasoning for turning down the part was because he wasn’t keen on wearing a superhero costume. Christopher Reeve took on the role of Superman, which solidified his superstar status.
He only did ‘Elf’ for the money
Caan didn’t love starring in Elf, and he had a conflict with co-star Will Ferrell. In line with his aversion to costumes, Caan snarked at Ferrell in the Buddy the Elf costume. “He’s the dullest person I’ve ever met. But he will wear anything, any time, anywhere – as you can tell,” he said via The Sun.
He also told Ferrell that he didn’t find him funny and said he only did Elf because he needed the money. “There is a huge difference between wanting to work and having to work,” he said. “For this one, I am having to work because I need the money.”
Caan was also known for mocking the film calling it Elk instead of Elf.
