The Casting Choices That Almost Changed Movies As We Know Them

Before he became young Vito Corleone, the Corleone family almost met Robert De Niro in a much louder form. He auditioned during the first film’s casting process, including for Sonny, the hotheaded eldest son eventually played by James Caan. That near-miss is satisfying because history seems to correct itself later. De Niro’s greatest power often comes from compression, from the feeling that thought is moving behind the eyes before action arrives.