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The legendary 1970s movie Robert De Niro called “the best job I never got”
Robert De Niro described being rejected for the role of Sonny Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s *The Godfather* as “the best job I never got”. The missed part mattered because it left him available to play the young Vito Corleone in *The Godfather Part II*, a role that became a defining early achievement in his career.
De Niro auditioned for Sonny, the volatile son of Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone, but James Caan was cast instead. After the first film’s success, Coppola made the sequel around Michael Corleone’s rise and Vito’s earlier life; De Niro’s performance as young Vito won him his first Academy Award and followed his breakthrough collaboration with Martin Scorsese on *Mean Streets*.
In short
- Rejection from *The Godfather* led De Niro to *Part II*.
- James Caan played Sonny Corleone.
- De Niro won his first Oscar as young Vito.
Explained simply
The Godfather, released in 1972, is a landmark crime drama directed by Francis Ford Coppola about an organised crime family's power and operations. Robert De Niro auditioned for a major role in the film but was not selected.
De Niro was considered for Sonny Corleone, the hot-headed eldest son in the family, but actor James Caan received the part. When Coppola made The Godfather Part II, the sequel continued Michael Corleone's rise whilst depicting his father Vito's earlier life through flashback sequences. De Niro took the role of young Vito.
De Niro won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing young Vito, his first Oscar. The role came shortly after his breakthrough collaboration with director Martin Scorsese on Mean Streets.