James Caan
James Caan
James Edmund Caanis an American actor. After early roles in The Glory Guysand El Dorado, he came to prominence in the 1970s with significant roles in films such as Brian's Song, The Gambler, Funny Ladyand A Bridge Too Far. For his signature role in The Godfather, that of hot-tempered Sonny Corleone, Caan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth26 March 1940
CityBronx, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I never saw my dad cry. My son saw me cry. My dad never told me he loved me, and consequently I told Scott I loved him every other minute. The point is, I'll make less mistakes than my dad, my sons hopefully will make less mistakes than me, and their sons will make less mistakes than their dads.
One night I went over to get some dope from some Hollywood tough guy. After I left, my son Scott, who was only fifteen, went over with a baseball bat to kill him. I was laughing out of one eye and crying out of the other. I thought, Who am I kidding?
I lost my passion for work. No, that's a negative statement. I just had a bigger passion for something else, for my son, and growing up with him.
Sure, I want to be the best actor in the world. But my life is my family, my son, my friends. I don't know how anyone can find fault with that.
I was very fortunate in the '70s to work with the best actors, the best directors, the best cinematographers.
Will is extremely funny. The tights, though, they were a little vulgar. I just looked at the tights and there's nothing funny about them!
When I played three-on-three with twenty-year-olds when I was fifty, I didn't care if the guy was six eight - I threw the elbow.
People wonder why first-time directors can make a brilliant picture, then suck on the second one. It's because they're a little terrified the first time. So they listen to all the experts around them.
I loved 'Funny Lady' for whatever reason. People say they didn't know I could sing and dance. Well, nobody ever asks me - it's always, 'Punch this guy.'
I have nothing against these big CGI movies, but there are not enough of the other ones - the ones with stories about character that have a beginning, a middle and an end. I said that to a couple of studio heads and they said, 'That's novel.'
I play a guy who believes he's a king. He's the most common man in the world; in fact his family, like his suits, are just make-up. It's about dysfunctional people and dysfunctional relationships.
I think we have to believe in things we don't see. That's really important for all of us, whether it's your religion or Santa Claus, or whatever. That's pretty much what it's about.
It was surprising for a picture called Elf. It was actually edgy. I think the nice thing about the film is that my mother laughed, my kids laughed, my friends laughed, and usually when they call something a family movie, I think, "uh-oh! I'll have to suffer through it.
Joseph Russo is a dear friend of mine and I cannot express enough how pleased I am that your office has taken interest and is in pursuit of correcting this problem.