Burt Reynolds Turned Down a Part in ‘The Godfather’ Because of Marlon Brando

There’s nothing like a feud to ruin your day or your dream job. This is exactly what happened to Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds. Did you know that during the casting of "The Godfather," there was a bit of drama with Marlon Brando and Reynolds?Show more

Believe it or not, the directors of "The Godfather" were considering casting the late Burt Reynolds for the role of Michael Corleone. Unfortunately, the only thing standing in the way of this casting was Marlon Brando's hatred for Reynold which is why Francis Ford Coppola was in quite a stump.

So much so, that Brando once decided to rip apart Reynolds while on the set of "Apocalypse Now" (years later) stating, “He (Reynolds) is the epitome of something that makes me want to throw up. He is the epitome of everything that is disgusting about the thespian, he worships at the temple of his own narcissism.”

Brando even went as far as to say that he was going to quit the film if Reynolds played Michael Corleone or any other role in the movie. But, Reynolds was allegedly “flattered” by the fact that Brando was so upset by the potential of his presence in the box office hit. So, as we all know, Reynolds was not in the film. Michael Corleone was ultimately played by Al Pacino. As for Brando, well, he went on to win an Oscar for his performance in the film.

This wasn’t the first or last of very successful films that the Hollywood movie star passed on. In an interview on “Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live” he discussed having passed on the roles of Han Solo in Star Wars, portrayed by Harrison Ford, Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman which went to Richard Gere, and even Jack Nicholson’s role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

He also explained how he turned down the opportunity to play the original James Bond because he thought that an American should not have taken on the role. Reynolds was also set to star in Nicholson’s role in Terms of Endearment, for which Nicholson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Safe to say the actor regretted turning down a few movie roles, but The Godfather was definitely not one of them.

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