‘It wasn’t acceptable’: Why this legendary actor didn’t return for The Godfather 3

When it comes to trilogies, the third film is often (but not always) the weakest. However, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Part 3 did not escape him. Released in 1990, 16 years after the second installment, the film failed to reach the heights set by its predecessors, which are often considered the best films cinema has to offer.

Additionally, due to salary disputes, the third installment did not include the return of Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duvall, a character who was essential to the story of Michael Corleone in the first two installments. Later, when asked why he chose to make a third film, Robert Duvall He had a rather honest answer.

economic reasons

It’s no secret that the main motivation behind reviving the franchise after more than a decade was money. In addition to being critical successes, the first two installments also made a lot of money for Paramount. Studio executives paid Al Pacino $5 million to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the third installment, as opposed to the $1 million they had been offered. Robert Duvall.

Given that the economy was decisive for the third part, the latter demanded a salary equivalent to half that of the main character. Defending his position, Duvall later noted in a 1990 video interview (see below) that everyone was in it for the money, explaining that the huge pay gap was completely unacceptable.

“I think they all did it for the money. I mean, why wait 15 years for a sequel to whatever you call the third installment, you know? They waited so long. Obviously it had to be for the money, because why wait so long?“

He continued: “When I said to some people “it’s true, it happens”, if someone offers five times more than what I was offered, it is totally unacceptable.“

However, the actor also noted that if Al Pacino If he was offered two or three times more than what he was offered, he would agree to return, even if he felt it wasn’t an ideal reason either. But 5 million versus 1 million, no.

“Everyone did it for the money. And when you see the movie, it’s not as good as the first two, I don’t care what people say“, he concluded Robert Duvall.

Watch his remarks in the video below:

In a 2010 interview with Reuters, the legendary comedian returned to the subject, adding: “ came to my house in Virginia. He always wanted my mom’s Maryland crab cake recipe. So I wrote to him and we talked about The Godfather 3. Then he left and forgot the recipe. He called me, more worried about the recipe than whether I would make a third installment of The Godfather.“

Coppola’s financial situation reportedly forced him to shoot The Godfather 3

According to FandomWire, the MASH actor wasn’t wrong when he felt the economy was the driving force behind the third installment, as Francis Ford Coppola At first, he was not going to return for the third part. After completing The Godfather Part 2, which he initially disapproved of, Coppola ended up with the Corleone family for good, despite Paramount’s desire to further expand the intellectual property.

Unfortunately, despite the success of his next film, Apocalypse Now, in which Robert Duvall Coppola appeared to be on track with Coup (1981), the failure of which plunged him into a period of financial turmoil that lasted a decade. Given his financial situation, it seems that the famous filmmaker could no longer refuse Paramount’s offer.

The Godfather (1972) is available to stream on Netflix and The Godfather Part 2 is available on Prime Video. To watch The Godfather Part 3 again, you’ll have to turn to VOD.