Actors, throughout their careers, make several movie decisions that affect their graph. While some stars regret giving up on a film, others find serendipity in being cast in a project. This entire process also affects the movie, and that’s what happened with The Godfather III. For the unversed, Winona Ryder was roped in to play the role of Al Pacino’s daughter. But she backed out at the last minute, and what happened next is history.
Unlike The Godfather I, the third film of the franchise could not impress the audience. Director Francis Ford Coppola wanted to star Winona in the role of Mary Corleone but ultimately had to cast his own daughter, Sofia Coppola, for the part. Big mistake! She was not a trained actress, and her acting was considered one of the worst elements of the film.
So what happened with Winona Ryder? Apparently, the actress did not show up for the shooting at the very last minute. She did not pick up the makers’ calls, and Johnny Depp had to call them and inform them that she would not be doing the film. In an interview with LA Times, the actress said, “The whole thing has been blown out of proportion. I’d done three films in a row: Great Balls of Fire, Roxy Carmichael and Mermaids. Right after Mermaids wrapped, I flew to Rome with a terrible upper-respiratory infection and a 104-degree fever. I literally couldn’t move. The studio doctor told me to go home and said I was too sick to work.”
As per Screenrant, the studio producer examined Winona Ryder and said that she was suffering from nervous collapse. As per Vanity Fair, she spent the entire time “being fitted and coiffed for the shoot.” The actress confessed that her agent warned her that if she walked out of the movie, she would never get work again. But Winona didn’t budge at all. “It wasn’t my choice. It was out of my hands. Sure, it’s disappointing, devastating, in fact. I wish it didn’t happen . . . but it did,” she added.
Interestingly, Ryder also spoke to Al Pacino when she didn’t show up for the film, and he was more than understanding. While speaking to W Magazine, she said, “When I didn’t do the movie, he called me and was like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ At the end of the day, I am glad I didn’t do that film. I mean, I would have loved to have been a part of it, but I don’t know…”
Director Francis Ford Coppola considered Julia Roberts and Rebecca Schaeffer for the role and even rejected Madonna as she was apparently too old for the part. He ultimately cast his daughter, but that did not work out in his favour.
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