Robert Duvall Interview: The Godfather
The iconic Robert Duvall has had a tremendous career in Tinseltown, and a big part of that was due to The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.
For the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, Robert Duvall spoke with Screen Rant about the respect he gained for Coppola due to the tremendous pressure the director was under from the studio and also about how James Caan kept things light on set. Duvall also shares his thoughts on if The Godfather should ever be remade and what he learned about himself while playing Tom Hagen in The Godfather.
Related: Why The Godfather is Still King of the Gangster Movies 50 Years Later
Screen Rant: The Godfather is the ultimate cinematic phenomenon. At what point during filming, or while it was in theaters, or years later that the classic would be revered and talked about for many decades to come?
Robert Duvall: I didn’t realize it in those terms but about a third of the way through Godfather 1 I know it was something pretty special. Definitely.
I know that with Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, a lot of the writing is already on the page, but is there anything that you wanted to add to Tom Hagen? Any nuances that you wanted to add to the character?
Robert Duvall: Well, what you bring is not necessarily on the written page. I can't put that in words, necessarily, but you bring you as that person, as that character, and whatever you present is hopefully truthful enough to fit what they're doing in the overall picture.
You're obviously a Hollywood and acting legend, but back then you were still an up-and-coming star. Can you talk to me about working with Marlon Brando back then? I know you worked with him on The Chase in 1966. Was his process more or less the same for The Godfather?
Robert
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