‘The Godfather’ Star Talia Shire Reveals Why She Shouldn’t Have Been in the Movie
With The Godfather nearing its 50th anniversary, many cast and crew, including director Francis Ford Coppola, are reminiscing on the mafia masterpiece. While many have shared fond memories about being on set, actor Talia shire believes she shouldn’t have been in the movie.
Talia Shire believes her presence added ‘more tension’ for Francis Ford Coppola
In an interview with the New York Post, Shire discusses how the production of The Godfather was tough on director Francis Ford Coppola. Even though it’s an iconic role, Shire says she wouldn’t have cast herself as Connie Corleone for The Godfather. Shire is Coppola’s sister, and she believes that her presence on set added even more pressure to the director.
“It was really tough for Francis,” Shire told the Post. “I think the last thing he needed was his sister at that time … It added one more tension for him … I wouldn’t have had me on the set.”
According to the Post, Shire alludes to the fact that executives at Paramount were considering firing Coppola from the project. Thankfully, they didn’t, and Shire says that she and her brother enjoyed a “collaborative professional relationship” in the movie. Shire later reprised her role as Connie in The Godfather: Part II and The Godfather: Part III.
Coppola didn’t want to cast Shire in ‘The Godfather’ because he said she was ‘too pretty’
Coppola wanted to portray the mafia family accurately and according to Mario Puzo’s novel. This mindset went into his idea of what Connie should look like, and the director thought his sister would be “too pretty” for the role.
“Talia’s too pretty for the part!” Coppola told his mother (via The Godfather Companion). “A guy who’s going to marry into a mafia family has to have a fat little dumpy Italian girl with an ugly face”
Coppola also worried about nepotism being a factor here. Speaking with The Hollywood Interview, Shire said her brother was concerned about the politics of studios, so she used her married name so that Paramount never figured out she and Coppola were related.
“He was very concerned about the politics that go on in studios,” Shire said. “You know, ‘I’ll give you one little sister for two cousins,’ that kind of thing.”
Shire recalls a disturbing scene that was difficult to shoot
In the film, Connie is the lone daughter of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). The movie begins with her wedding to Carlo (Gianni Russo), who winds up being an abusive husband. One scene shows a pregnant Connie trying to avoid her husband while throwing dishes at him. Shire said this scene was challenging to shoot and she was “terrified” while filming it.
“It’s a rough thing to see a pregnant woman being knocked around,” Shire explained. “And I had to move from place to place, and I was honestly terrified because you didn’t want to do another take. Another take meant everything had to be reset, and I just wanted to keep going and sometimes things wouldn’t break. And I remember my shoes came off, and I kept running, hoping, ‘Feet don’t fail me now. I don’t want to get cut.’ But it was a marvel to shoot, and I think it was very potent.”
In alignment with the 50th anniversary, a restored version of The Godfather trilogy is coming out in 4k Ultra HD on March 22.
