Actually, he cooked for us every night, but the first cook, I tried to help him out and I saw him cooking in the kitchen, so I went in there and tried to be a proper Corleone. ![]() The first day of a rehearsal in Napa, Francis cooked for us that night. I felt confident, and once I got the opportunity I just jumped in. I knew who this family was, I knew this world. I had prepared for that part all my life, just reading the novel and watching the other two movies hundreds and hundreds of times, so I just felt a connection. Probably every actor would want to be in a Godfather film, even if you're just in the background, but what was it about Vincent specifically that spoke to you? And the next morning I got a call saying I got the part, and I got on a plane and went to Napa. And by the time I put my own clothes back on and I had taken the wardrobe off, he came back in and said, "Hey, there's been a change of plans, you can go ahead and go home now." So I felt good about what I did and there was nothing I could do any more about it. I actually auditioned on Friday, Fred Roos came into the room after the audition as I was taking my wardrobe off, and he said, "Francis would like for you to stay for dinner," so I felt like that was a good sign. Someone is going to come in and Francis is going to say, 'I like this person.'" And I'm sure a lot of great actors did a great job with it, but I got my shot and the next day I was cast in the film. I need to show what I can do with the part." They kept saying, "Be patient, be patient." I was like, "I'm going to lose this opportunity. The studio wants me but Francis is going to make the choice. So people were going in to screen-test all summer long and I was telling my agents, "Let me go in, let me go in, I'm going to lose this part. Rehearsals started the Monday after Labor Day, I screen-tested the Friday before. But, you know, Francis goes through his process. I had a lot of support from Fred Roos, who worked with Francis for many years, and he was a big supporter of mine. "I'd like you to play Vincent in the new series." I was like, "I'll check my schedule and get back to you right away." And then it became this whole process. Mancuso, came to me at lunch and said, "What are you doing in September? I'd like to talk to Francis." This was like in May. Luckily it was delayed for close to 10 years and I had an opportunity to build a career, and I had done several movies for Paramount at the time before that, The Untouchables, Black Rain, and I was doing Internal Affairs at the time, which they had developed for me. But my career had not gotten started yet, I was struggling to find agents and to get work. I felt, "Well, that's my part." Every actor said that, it wasn't just me, but I wanted that part because I had such a connection to the first two, like all of us did. The first mention of the movie really took place in the late '70s or early '80s, and there was this talk of this new version and there was going to be a young guy in it. ![]() Going back, what is your memory of Godfather Part III coming into your life? I'm sure you were excited, both as a film fan and actor. So to get a chance to play with Al in that way was a very special time for me. Al had been a great inspiration to me all my life, and continues to be for an entire generation of actors, not only my generation but generations that are coming up. For me, to be associated with those films and get a chance to work with the people I was working with, specifically Francis and Al, and of course Sofia. Of course there's a loaded element that you're revisiting your life on screen in a sense, a time in your life that was important to all of us. ![]() The consensus was that we were all very emotional at the end of the film, and even Diane said she didn't remember herself being that emotionally affected by the film. I've seen Al a little bit over the years, and Diane, we worked together on Book Club, so these are all friends of mine that I got to know during the making of the movie. That was probably the first time you'd all been in the same room since you made it. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that theater as you, Al, Diane, Talia, and George watched together.
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