50 Years Ago, Jack Nicholson Rejected a Role in the Best Movie Ever Made (For a Very Modern Reason)

Summary:

• Jack Nicholson has kept his status of one of the best actors in recent decades and the fame that he got back in the 1960s almost helped him land an iconic role in presumably the best movie ever made.
• The actor was strongly considered by a famous director himself, but Nicholson’s firm beliefs about one particular matter were the main reason for him shutting the role down.
• Though Nicholson opted for other options, the role eventually went to another actor for whom it worked out just fine bringing him to a whole new level of fame.

It’s been more than fifty years since The Godfather was released and instantly became the cinema’s biggest cult classic, but all of its actors may have unconsciously merged with their roles, whatever projects they would signed up for.

Here it’s Al Pacino that comes as the most striking example: after the actor starred as Vito Corleone’s youngest son Michael, Al Pacino turned into Michael and Michael turned into Al Pacino — as simple as that.

Despite the fact that right now nobody can imagine Al Pacino being replaced by another actor in The Godfather, this option was more than possible back then and eventually got canceled at the last minute — by the main challenger himself.

Though it’s hard to believe it these days, back in the day it was Jack Nicholson who The Godfather’s director Francis Ford Coppola was strongly considering for Michael Corleone’s role.

Nicholson was indeed a good fit: a fresh superstar after his 1969 road drama film Easy Rider for performance in which the actor was awarded with the Academy award for Best Supporting Actor, Nicholson was at the top of his career — and a promising duo with Marlon Brando could potentially bring him to even higher levels.

Despite one-in-a-million opportunity that the actor clearly saw with his own eyes, it was his politically correct mindset that eventually prevailed even back then, several decades before it actually became extremely vital in the industry.

In one of his interviews in 2004 Nicholson revealed that his firm belief that Italians were supposed to be played by Italians was what had impeded him to land the iconic role.

Although nothing like this could be said about Marlon Brando who had all the possible but not Italian roots, it worked out quite well in Al Pacino’s case bringing him wide international fame that has never left him since.

Jack Nicholson didn’t suffer from such a loss either — and starred in many other crime movies, though more American-ish ones.