Why Jack Nicholson TURNED DOWN the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather

One aspect of Hollywood movies that has become just as interesting as the movies themselves has been the question of 'What if?', relating to major casting decisions.

What if Tom Selleck had played Indiana Jones? What if Will Smith had played Neo in The Matrix? What if O.J. Simpson had been cast as The Terminator...?

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One of the most infamous examples of this surrounds the character of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Al Pacino played the role to perfection, but he had to win it up against some of the biggest names in the history of cinema, including Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen and Burt Reynolds.

James Caan also auditioned, though he would be cast in the role of Sonny, Michael's brother.

Francis Ford Coppola eventually campaigned for Pacino as well as for Marlon Brando to play Vito Corleone, but the studio initially offered Michael to Nicholson who, to his credit, turned it down as he believed the role was made for an Italian.

In a conversation with Movieline back in 2004, Nicholson was asked if he had ever turned down a film as he didn't believe it was the right fit. He responded:

"The Godfather. Back then I believed that Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians. Mario Puzo had written such a great book that if you go back to it you'll see so much of what was special about the movie.

"There were a lot of actors who could have played Michael, myself included, but Al Pacino was Michael Corleone. I can't think of a better compliment to pay him."

Diane Keaton helped Al Pacino get the role

In the eyes of many, Pacino was born to play Michael in The Godfather trilogy.

But Diane Keaton, who played his wife Kay Adams in the trilogy, has suggested it was only after producers saw the chemistry between herself and Pacino that they brought him on to play Michael.

"I auditioned for The Godfather having never read it and I knew nothing about it, and just was there, I was standing there like every other woman," she explained to Entertainment Tonight.

"I didn't know what the hell I was there for. And they cast me in that role!

"Nobody wanted Al Pacino. They didn't want him to play that part, and I had already been cast. I had been cast before Al Pacino in Godfather 1! Is this not weird?

"So I was standing there and they brought him up when I was standing there and we worked together in front of, and they gave him the job. Do you believe that? After he had auditioned before and they didn't want him.

"What would The Godfather have been without Al Pacino?" she added. "It's just one of those weird, unusual things in life."