Originally it would be Winona Ryder who would play Mary Corleone, but the young actress left the role at the last minute and Francis Ford Coppola nominated her daughter, who was present at all rehearsals. The tape was released and the harshest criticism was against Sofia. "She didn't particularly want the part. She was in school, but she did it. I feel like I caused her that damage," said the director of the trilogy.
The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo, is considered a masterpiece of cinema. It even appears on lists such as "The Tapes You Must See Before You Die" and was awarded three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
A success and popularity that increased with its second part, which doubled the number of Academy Awards with six awards. However, his third and final part did not have the same luck.
The death of Michael Corleone received harsh comments, both from the public and from specialized critics. These mostly pointed out that the third part did not reach the level of excellence of its predecessors and that Sofia Coppola's performance as Mary Corleone was, to say the least, deficient.
How Sofia Became Mary Corleone
It was common knowledge that the actress who would play the daughter of Michael Corleone was Winona Ryder, a rising star who came from working on Beetlejuice and Heathers.
According to People, Coppola originally wanted Julia Roberts and even gave Madonna an audition, but Ryder was chosen.
“She was in another movie, so she wasn't even in rehearsals that we did in Napa when we started,” Andy Garcia, who played Vincent Mancini in the film, told Insider.
“But Sofia was there and she sat down to read the script ever since. So when Sofia was cast, I was like, 'Come on, I'm on board,'" Garcia added.
According to details published by Vanity Fair, Ryder arrived on the set of The Godfather III in Italy after finishing filming Mermaids and traveled in the company of Johnny Depp, her partner at the time.
She was immediately taken to the production office to prepare for the next day, the first official day of shooting. She “seemed quite tired, and several members of the team noticed that something seemed amiss. But since she only had to say a couple of lines the next day, they let it go," Garcia added.
“She arrived on the set with the corresponding makeup. I was giving her her space because they were doing some tests with her. I thought that when she was ready, she would introduce us, but she left and she could not work and that was it, "said the actor.
Vanity Fair added that the next day, Johnny Depp phoned the production team and said, "Winona is not well, she can't get out of bed, and she can't act in the scene."
Although the production doctor visited the actress, Ryder never got to set foot on the set of The Godfather III.
“I asked [Sofia] to come in, and she auditioned for the part,” Francis Ford Coppola said in an interview with Vulture. “She didn't particularly want the part. She was at school, but she did it. I feel like I caused him that damage."
“Sure Sofia moved on and had a wonderful career on her own merit, but she must have hurt terribly 'You ruined your father's movie,' when she really, didn't, in my opinion. In every sense, the whole subject of The Godfather III is really painful for me”, said the filmmaker, who this year premiered the reissue of his third and final part.
30 years later, Francis and Sofia Coppola met in an interview with The New York Times in the promotional framework of The Godfather III Coda, the death of Michael Corleone. A conversation in which it was inevitable to touch Sofia's performance.
“It was embarrassing to be released to the public like that,” the filmmaker confesses. “But it wasn't my dream to be an actress, so they didn't squash me. She had other interests. It didn't destroy me," said the director of Lost in Translation.
“She taught me that as a creative person, you have to expose your work. It hardens you. I know it's a cliché, but she can make you stronger," she added, later declaring that, more than any kind of personal aspiration, she did it to help her father.
“It seemed like she was under a lot of pressure and I was helping. There was this panic and before I knew it, she was in a makeup chair at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, while they dyed my hair, ”the director related.
“I wasn't taking things very seriously. He was of the age to try anything. I just jumped in without thinking much about it, ”Sofia Coppola concluded about her adventure as Mary.
