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BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Jayne knew exactly what she was doing': The forgotten story behind the most famous side-eye in Hollywood history
One of show business's most glamorous – and notorious – images, there's more to this 1957 snapshot of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield than might first appear. On the night of Sophia Loren's "Welcome to Hollywood" dinner party in April 1957, Jayne Mansfield walked into the exclusive Romanoff's restaurant in Beverly Hills with a plan. The swanky soirée being thrown by Paramount Studios was packed with some of the biggest Hollywood stars of the era, from Barbara Stanwyck and Montgomery Clift to Gary Cooper and Shelley Winters. But it would be a candid photograph of Mansfield and Loren that would earn the evening an indelible place in Hollywood history. According to Eve Golden, the author of Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn't Help It, Mansfield wanted to make sure all eyes were on her. Signed to a seven-year contract by Warner Bros. in February 1955, the then 24-year-old blonde former Playboy Playmate was seen as a rival to Marilyn Monroe, who had been "causing problems" for 20th Century Fox, Golden tells the BBC. Released just eight months apart, the huge success of The Girl Can't Help It (1956) and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) quickly established Mansfield as a star. Sophia Loren was just 22 when she arrived in Hollywood. Born and raised in Italy under Mussolini's fascist regime, Loren's mother had her "own theatrical ambitions", says Mary Ann McDonald Carolan, author of The Transatlantic Gaze: Italian Cinema, American Film. Loren entered beauty competitions as a teenager, where she met her future husband, the film producer Carlo Ponti, before she enrolled at the national film school of Italy. Ponti produced many of her early films. Post-World War Two Italy was swamped with Hollywood productions, too, as studios took advantage of the country's lower production costs. "There was an extraordinary amount of artistic, economic, business, and cinematic exchange between Italy and America at that time," Carolan tells the BBC. After the success of 1953's Aida and 1954's The Gold of Naples, which screened at that year's Cannes Film Festival, Paramount signed Loren, betting she could follow in the footsteps of her European counterparts Leslie Caron, Ingrid Bergman, and Marlene Dietrich. By April 1957, it was time for Loren to make her debut amongst the Hollywood elite at Romanoff's, where Mansfield was the last guest to enter. She walked in covered by a "great big fur coat," says Golden. When she took it off she was wearing a backless, extremely low-cut satin dress, which she knew would draw the attention of everyone in the room, particularly the photographers. "She sauntered over and plumped herself right down next to Sophia Loren," says Golden. "It was definitely planned. Jane knew exactly what she was doing." Photographers Delmar Watson and Joe Shere shot Loren and Mansfield next to each other. But while Mansfield stared directly down the lens, Loren was captured giving the most famous side-eye in Hollywood history, glaring at her tablemate's cleavage. Sixty-eight years later, it's still one of the most iconic photographs in Hollywood history. Heidi Klum, Anna Nicole Smith, Sydney Sweeney and Maude Apatow, Sophia Vergara and Julie Bowen have all replicated it. The picture has endured because it presents Loren and Mansfield as polar opposites, the image symbolising elegance against bombast. Europe against America. Brunette against blonde. "It's almost as if they got dressed purposely as a contrast," says Carolan. The photograph's long legacy There are troubling implications linked to the prolonged prevalence of the image, however. It highlights the media's tendency to exaggerate female rivalry, pushing the harmful stereotype that women are always in competition. In reality, this was the only time they ever met, and Loren was perhaps worried that Mansfield was about to have a wardrobe failure in front of the press. In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Loren recalled, "Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I'm staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I'm so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow – boom! – and spill all over the table." In her new documentary My Mom Jayne, Mansfield's daughter Mariska Hargitay, who was three years old when she died, explores the actress's career in a bid to discover the mother she barely knew. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Hargitay admits that she struggled with the photograph as a youth. "That was a rough one. To see another woman look at your mom like that was excruciating for me as a little girl." Growing up, she developed a demure style that was the opposite of Mansfield's glamorous public image. In the documentary, Hargitay admits that she decided to become a different kind of actor with a different image to her mother, whose career struggles she was keen to avoid. Now 61, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actor is reclaiming Mansfield's story in the documentary – after all, this was a woman who could play violin and piano, spoke three languages, and who Life magazine called "Broadway's smartest dumb blonde". This moment was to be the only time where the two women's careers criss-crossed, because while Loren's star was on the rise, Mansfield's was about to decline. In 1960, Loren won the best actress Oscar for Two Women, making her the first performer to win an Academy Award for a foreign-language role. Meanwhile, Mansfield's stunt at Loren's party was met harshly by 20th Century Fox. "This is when they realised they had signed a loose cannon," says Golden. "I think this is the moment Fox really stopped taking an interest in furthering her career." In 1962, shortly after the death of Monroe, Mansfield was dropped by Fox, following three years of poor box-office performances. Suddenly, Golden says, with a "huge house to pay for and three children", Mansfield started opening supermarkets and petrol stations to "support her family". Golden believes that Mansfield's career ambitions were scuppered because while "she knew where she wanted to go, she didn't have the vaguest idea how to get there. She really needed a strong, smart manager." Meanwhile, Loren was able to turn to the Oscar-winning producer Ponti for advice. "She has this incredible knowledge from inside the film industry," says Carolan. "She had a good sense of how to behave in the media circus. She couldn't be manipulated by the press or by managers." Loren was so astute at navigating her film career that she managed to combine Hollywood and Italian films while still remaining popular for nearly 70 years. Not only did Mansfield's fame fizzle out, but her life ended in tragedy. When she died in a car crash on 29 June, 1967, at the age of 34, she was driving from a night-time appearance at a Mississippi supper club to a midday radio interview in New Orleans. But the journey wasn't unusual for someone who had insisted on appreciating every last drop of her fame since becoming a star. "She loved being in the spotlight. She loved her fans. She became her on-screen persona," says Golden. "You could call her the first reality star because she lived her life in public. No matter what she was doing, she had photographers and reporters along with her." Carolan acknowledges that Mansfield helped to "pave the way for actresses like Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, and Claudia Cardinale", as she broke down barriers in the male-dominated industry by proudly owning her beauty and sexuality. And while their paths might have only crossed fleetingly, Loren told Entertainment Weekly that she is still repeatedly asked to sign the famous picture. She always refuses, though. "I don't want to have anything to do with that. And also out of respect for Jayne Mansfield because she's not with us anymore." My Mom Jayne is available to stream on Max. -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lucie Arnaz Says ‘You Can't Talk to Aaron Sorkin,' Reflecting on ‘Being the Ricardos' — ‘It Was So Wrong'
At a screening of the 1993 special 'Lucy & Desi Home Movies' on the Paramount Studios lot on June 5, Lucie Arnaz got candid about her feelings on Aaron Sorkin's 2021 film 'Being the Ricardos.' The movie, which followed Arnaz's parents Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during the production of the seminal '50s series 'I Love Lucy,' garnered a mixed critical response — though Nicole Kidman earned praise and an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Ball. Lucie Arnaz served as an executive producer on the project. 'I was involved, and I tried to work on it and correct the incorrect parts, especially her relationship with the writers,' Arnaz said in a video from the June 5 event. 'Totally wrong, right? She adored those people. They got along so well, none of that backstabbing, crazy, insulting stuff. That was such a crock of poop. It was so wrong.' More from IndieWire Sarah Michelle Gellar, Allison Hannigan Say 'Buffy' Reboot Will Honor Michelle Trachtenberg: 'We'll Do What's Appropriate' With 'Good Night, and Good Luck' on CNN, George Clooney Trusts the Power of Live TV, One More Time Arnaz also said that the tension depicted between Vivian Vance and William Frawley — known best as their 'Lucy' characters Ethel and Fred — was 'overly done.' 'But, you know, you can't talk to Aaron. He's Aaron Sorkin,' she explained, saying he would listen in what she referred to as 'meaningful consultation… But then he would say, 'Well, what do you know? You were 15 months old.'' Arnaz added that she was concerned about putting her name on something that future generations may look back on and consider to be the truth. The panel discussion also featured actor Keith Thibodeaux, who portrayed the Ricardos' son Little Ricky on 'I Love Lucy,' who also had issues with the Sorkin film. 'It's well done and all that, I just didn't get it,' Thibodeaux said. Arnaz did concede that the fill was 'beautifully made,' and has previously praised Kidman's performance as her mother. 'Nicole did a spectacular job,' she told Paul Springs Life in 2021. 'Boy, what she did was astounding. She's got such poise and class.' Arnaz appears to have had evolving feelings on the movie over the years. After seeing the film initially in 2021, she called it 'freakin' amazing.' Sorkin told IndieWire in 2021 that he built 'Being the Ricardos' around Ball seeing the series as a salve for her marriage to Desi Arnaz. 'Desi wasn't around that much, he was touring with his orchestra,' Sorkin said. 'Lucy had to be in L.A., she wanted her marriage to work, she wanted a family. She wanted Desi to play her husband, which was not a crazy idea. She would go out and meet Desi and the orchestra on weekends; he'd call her up on stage to do bits that the writers had written and audiences loved it. There was reason to believe the idea would work. 'I Love Lucy' exists to save the marriage.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
New York Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How Hollywood almost screwed up ‘Die Hard,' ‘Grease' and ‘Saturday Night Fever'
It was 1977, and Barry Diller — just a few years into his tenure as CEO of Paramount Studios ‚ was sitting down for a preview of 'Saturday Night Fever' at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles when a publicist leaned in to give him a piece of advice. '[John] Travolta's the problem,' the publicist hissed at him, according to Diller's new memoir, 'Who Knew,' out Tuesday. 'He's a television person. You don't put a television person in a movie. The kid just doesn't put asses in seats.' Diller, who was just 35 at the time and still trying to prove himself in the industry, recalls thinking, 'Well, not old Hollywood asses.' 12 In his new book, 'Who Knew,' Barry Diller shares stories from his decades working in Hollywood. 12 Diller writes of how people told him that John Travolta was wrong for 'Saturday Night Fever.' When the movie was a massive hit, Diller was vindicated. Courtesy Everett Collection The movie opened nationwide just two weeks later, becoming an overnight blockbuster. 'There were vast lines around the block at every theater across America,' Diller writes. Paramount, which had dropped to a distant fifth place among the major studios after Diller took over, jumped to No. 1 again. For Diller, it was sweet vindication, especially given how many former executives from Paramount were 'actively mocking' him 'as a parvenu who was destroying their institution,' Diller writes. But during his 10 years with the studio — from 1974 to 1984 — he championed some of the most beloved films of the last century, like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Terms of Endearment' and 'Beverly Hills Cop.' He also, he writes, oversaw his fair share of bombs, including William Friedkin's 'The Sorcerer' — a bloated, over-budget 'nightmare' from 'The French Connection' director that demonstrated 'the sheer perversity of some Hollywood luminaries.' And then there was 'The Last Tycoon,' starring Robert De Niro, Tony Curtis, Jack Nicholson and Robert Mitchum and directed by Elia Kazan of 'On the Waterfront' fame. 'What could go wrong?' Diller asks. 'Everything. I knew it wasn't going to work when I saw the first assemblage.' 12 Diller championed some of the 20th century's most beloved films, including 'Beverly Hills Cop' with Eddie Murphy and Taylour Paige. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection But 'Saturday Night Fever' changed 'how movies got made,' Diller writes. The script wasn't pitched as a project for a pre-established A-lister. 'No stars, no pedigree, no package, no nothing — just a good idea,' Diller writes. Even director John Badham, a mostly unproven TV guy, was a risk. 'All these Frankenstein-like parts came together while all those around us thought we were amateurs,' Diller writes. 'It was heady stuff, and quite a shock to the naysayers.' Before coming to Paramount, Diller had cut his teeth at ABC during the 1960s and early '70s, where he invented the Movie of the Week and the miniseries. 12 Diller was CEO of Paramount when iconic films such as 'Terms of Endearment' were made. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection But the movie industry offered him a new challenge. Unlike TV, it was a business 'where ego and self-promotion corroded everything,' Diller writes. Even his boss, Charlie Bluhdorn, ran the company 'like an old-time emperor.' Diller remembers that Bluhdorn would call him randomly with ridiculous ideas for new movies that he was certain would become 'the blockbuster of all time,' Diller writes. Like 'the tale of Sitting Bull and Hitler at war with each other.' Diller trusted his instincts, which weren't always correct. The movies he championed at Paramount were often 'just darts thrown at the board,' he admits. 'I had to pitch and roll with whatever came my way. That made me a mark for every promoter and rascal in the film industry.' 12 Not all of Diller's movies were big successes. He writes that 'Lipstick' with Margaux Hemingway was 'the essence of putting lipstick on a pig.' Courtesy Everett Collection Some of his lesser achievements include 'Lipstick' with Margaux Hemingway ('the essence of putting lipstick on a pig,' he writes), 'The Big Bus' ('a parody of disaster movies that ended up just being a disaster'), and Roman Polanski's 'The Tenant' (a 'small film that had an even smaller audience'). Even Diller's successes came with controversy. During an advance screening of 'Marathon Man' in San Francisco in 1976, the audience became irate during the notorious 'Is it safe?' scene, in which the Nazi villain (played by Laurence Olivier) tortures Dustin Hoffman's character with dental instruments. Viewers weren't 'prepared for such invasive violence to sweet Dustin's teeth,' the author writes. 'They shouted and booed at what we were doing to them, and many charged up the aisles, enraged.' Diller claims he had to be evacuated from a movie theater for his own safety. 12 Diller writes of the controversy surrounding a scene in 'Marathon Man' where Dustin Hoffman is tortured with dental instruments. Courtesy Everett Collection Some of his most ambitious projects, like a 1976 remake of 'King Kong,' were almost derailed by bad decisions behind the scenes. It was brought to him by the Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, who insisted 'he'd acquired the remake rights, but of course, being Dino, he really hadn't,' Diller writes. One day De Laurentiis called him and announced, 'I've found the actress to play [the lead in 'King Kong']. She's right now a model with no acting experience, but I'm sure she'll be a star.' Diller was hesitant but curious, and asked if they should give this up-and-coming model a screen test. 'Yes,' De Laurentiis allegedly told him. 'But first I want to have her breasts augmented.' The model was future Academy Award winner Jessica Lange. 12 Diller gave an up-and-coming young model named Jessica Lange a chance when she was cast in 'King Kong.' ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection Sam Spiegel, the legendary producer of classics like 'On the Waterfront' and 'Lawrence of Arabia,' approached Diller about adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel, 'The Last Tycoon.' During his meetings with Spiegel, who Diller describes as 'a true satyr,' he learned more than bargained for about the producer's sex life. 'He often said — and it was hard to know if he was joking — he only liked to have sex with virgins and, if he could find them, lesbian virgins,' writes Diller. Run-ins with directors could be hostile, and sometimes costly. After his 1978 epic 'Days of Heaven,' Diller paid auteur Terrence Malick an enormous sum — $500,000 (or $2.5 million in 2025 dollars) — to, in Malick's words, 'just experiment with things.' 12 After director Terrence Malick (above) squandered hundreds of thousands of dollars, Diller cut him off. Penske Media via Getty Images Every four or five months, Diller would call the director for an update, and get little beyond, 'I'm making progress.' Occasionally Malick would give him some vague sense of his next film, like 'I've got this idea to follow a paraplegic in New Mexico in a footrace.' But beyond that, Malick wouldn't give details, declaring that it was a 'secret.' Diller finally cut off Malick's salary. 'It would be twenty years before he directed another movie,' he writes. The author's handling of actors could also be a minefield. He got into hot water with Robert Redford after Paramount used a shirtless photo of the star embracing Faye Dunaway in a full-page ad to promote the political thriller 'Three Days of the Condor' in 1975. Redford called Diller and insisted that 'the ad had 'disrobed him' in front of his kids,' he writes. The actor asked for the ad to be taken down immediately, but Diller declined. 'And that was the last we saw of Robert Redford for five years,' he writes. 12 Diller and Robert Redford (above) clashed after the studio used a shirtless photo of Redford to promote 'Three Days of the Condor.' Courtesy Everett Collection After the huge success of 'Saturday Night Fever,' Princess Margaret requested to meet John Travolta 'for tea' during her visit to Los Angeles. Diller made the request to Travolta, who responded, 'I don't do tea!' He was finally cajoled into meeting the royal at the Beverly Wilshire. 'And when he came back, he said, 'She hit on me!'' Diller writes. He admits that has hasn't always had the best movie judgment. Diller thought 'Grease' was a terrible follow-up project for Travolta — even producer Robert Evans agreed, imploring Diller to 'burn it' before the footage ruined the actor's career — and pushed Travolta to star in 'American Gigolo' instead. Travolta resisted because he was wary of the 'somewhat gay subtext.' (The role eventually went to Richard Gere, and 'Grease' was a huge hit.) 12 Diller (third from left) has long run in powerful circles. In 1983, he mingled with Bill Sheinberg (from left), Sid Sheinberg, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and David Geffen. Berliner Studio Inc/Shutterstock Cocaine was rampant in the movie industry during the '70s and, Diller writes, Paramount's sets were no exception. During his visit to Robert Altman's production of 'Popeye,' starring Robin Williams, Diller realized that 'everyone in our made-up village — and I mean everyone! — was completely coked out.' He eventually discovered that his own driver, an affable New Yorker named Mario, was also a major cocaine dealer, 'particularly to all my friends,' Diller writes. 'I always wondered why they insisted that Mario drop me off first after our nights out. Once I left, Mario would open his trunk and deal out the drugs.' 12 After joining 20th Century Fox as CEO, Diller objected to Bruce Willis being cast in 'Die Hard.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection In 1984, Diller joined 20th Century Fox, where he served as CEO until 1992. One of his first projects was 'Die Hard' — and he immediately objected to the casting of Bruce Willis. 'Who cares about Bruce Willis?' he scolded the casting director. 'No one really likes Bruce Willis!' But Willis would soon prove to be the least of his worries. Producers Joel Silver and Larry Gordon asked to use an office tower owned by Fox for a pivotal final 'blowout' scene. 'We won't hurt anything,' they assured Diller. 'It'll only be one night.' Later that evening, Diller received a call from the studio's real estate division, screaming that the filmmakers were 'destroying our building!' He drove to the shoot and realized it wasn't an exaggeration. Diller confronted Silver, who just shrugged and said the scene had been 'more complicated' than they anticipated, and they'd need 'about two weeks' to finish their cinematic destruction. 12 Diller is married to fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg. Bloomberg via Getty Images Diller changed his tune after seeing a rough cut of the film, telling the director, 'Don't touch a f–king thing. This is not a good movie. This is a great movie.' But he still wasn't enthusiastic about Willis, insisting the star's face not appear in any of the advertising. 'No one likes him,' Diller continued to declare. 'After they see this movie, they're gonna love him, but coming in, they don't like him.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Justin Hartley and Wife Sofia Pernas Celebrate Season 3 of ‘Tracker' With Sweet Date Night
Justin Hartley celebrated his hit CBS series Tracker by attending an event for season 3 with wife — and onscreen love interest — Sofia Pernas by his side. Hartley, 48, and Pernas, 35, were all smiles while posing at the blue carpet during CBS Fest on Wednesday, May 7. The couple also reunited with their Tracker costar Fiona Rene, who plays another one of Hartley's love interests on the show. The outing took place at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles where CBS announced its schedule for the 2025-2026 primetime lineup. In addition to Tracker, the roster included one new comedy, four action-packed dramas, three unscripted series, 17 returning shows, sports and special event programming. Tracker is currently CBS' biggest success story with Nielsen reporting that Tracker came at No. 1 while averaging 10.84 million viewers per episode. The show, which premiered in February 2024, follows Hartley as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who solves missing persons cases. Justin Hartley and Wife Sofia Pernas' Sweetest Quotes About Working Together on 'Tracker' and More As the star and executive producer on the series, Hartley has been able to bring in some familiar faces — including his wife. Pernas was introduced as Colter's nemesis who has since crossed paths with him multiple times as they continue to grow closer. "It's so funny when you're in this business for as long as I've been in it, and I didn't realize it until Tracker, really? I'm like, 'S*** I've been around.' You develop all these relationships and you can call on friends who otherwise wouldn't do these things," Hartley told TV Insider in February about the show's star-studded guest stars. "And you get all these really wonderful people that come on. You'll see some really familiar faces, some really big TV names, familiar faces come on and just do stellar work on our show. It elevates the show. I just think it's wonderful that we're able to do that." Hartley first worked with Pernas on The Young and The Restless in 2015. Years later, they reconnected off screen and exchanged vows in 2021. Along with Tracker, they collaborated on the short-lived Quantum Leap reboot. 'She's wonderful. I mean, if I had my choice, I'd spend every minute with her," Hartley gushed to Us Weekly in July 2024. "What's really cool is when you meet someone that means so much to you, that you're so proud to be with and so proud of, and just such a fan of, and to get to see her work, because she's such a talented actor. She elevates scenes, and so it makes my job easier, actually. But yeah, it's just wonderful to work with her.' Every Time Justin Hartley and Wife Sofia Pernas Shared the Screen: From 'Quantum Leap' to 'Tracker' Hartley has opened up about getting the chance to collaborate with Pernas, telling USA Today in March, "I enjoy being around her. I'm having the time of my life with this show. I love it. To be able to share it with the people you love makes it even better." According to Hartley, it didn't require much work to get Pernas to appear on Tracker. "Obviously, I got her because I live with her," he quipped on an October 2024 episode of Max's Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? "It's not even a phone call." He added: "It's like, 'Hey, babe. Come on, we're going to work.' But that's fun when you can work with people that you love. ... It's great. It's great having her. She's a light and we get the greatest guest stars on our show." Tracker returns to CBS Sundays in the fall and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Steven Spielberg names the ‘greatest American movie of all time'
Steven Spielberg has named what he believes to be 'the greatest American film' of all time. The Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park director made the claim at an event honouring fellow filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, whose credits include Gene Hackman drama The Conversation and Vietnam film Apocalypse Now. But it's Coppola's first Godfather film that Spielberg described as 'the greatest American film ever made'. At the 50th AFI Life Achievement Awards, Spielberg, who first met Coppola in 1967, said: 'When we're young, it's our parents we want to make proud, and then it's our friends, and then it's our colleagues, and finally, it's our peers, but you, sir, are peerless.' He said that the director has 'taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film' and 'inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work'. Spielberg, whose other credits include Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET and Schindler's List, added: 'I always want to make you proud of my work.' The pair first met at a film festival screening of a short film made by George Lucas in the late 1960s. The wunderkind trio would go on to establish themselves as the most famous filmmakers in the world the following decade, with Spielberg releasing Jaws, Coppola making the first two Godfather films and Lucas creating Star Wars. At the time of its 1972 release, Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather was expected to be a flop due to its epic running time, with Paramount Studios convinced Al Pacino had been miscast in the role of Michael Corleone. However, the film, which won Marlon Brando an Oscar for his role as crime boss Don Vito Corleone, defied expectations to become a box office hit and one of the most seminal films of all time. It also won the Best Picture Oscar as well as Adapted Screenplay for Coppola. At the Coppola celebration, which took place earlier this week, Hollywood star Robert De Niro jokingly thanked the director for not casting him in The Godfather as Sonny, the role played by James Caan, as it freed him up to play the young version of Brando's character in the 1978 sequel. De Niro described it as 'the best job I ever, never got'.
