Sofia Coppola got a lot of negative press for her performance as Mary Corleone inThe Godfather Part III, but she’d previously played a small role (literally) in the first movie, too. When Francis Ford Coppola cast his daughter to play one of the lead roles in the final chapter ofThe Godfathertrilogy, he was criticized for a nepotistic bias. Upon the movie’s release in 1990,critics lambasted Sofia Coppola’s work, with some even claiming that her supposedly wooden acting ruined the film.
But not everyone realizes that this wasn’t Sofia Coppola’s first appearance inThe Godfathercast. It was her first time playing a major character with speaking lines, but it wasn’t her first time playing a member of the Corleone family in her father’s iconic trilogy. 18 years before she starred inThe Godfather Part III,she had appeared alongside Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in the classic originalGodfathermovie — but it’s impossible to recognize her.
Sofia Coppola Played The Baby Michael Rizzi In The Godfather
Sofia Coppola Appeared As A Baby During The Iconic Baptism Scene
Towardthe end ofThe Godfather, Michael Corleone appears at the altar during the baptism of his sister Connie’s baby, Michael Francis Rizzi. As Michael is being sworn in as the boy’s godfather, his assassins are going around and bumping off all his enemies — it’s one of the most iconic sequences in the entire trilogy. Baby Michael was played by Sofia Coppola, who wasborn in 1971 shortly before filming began. She was one of many Coppola family members to appear in the movie, along with Talia Shire and Carmine Coppola.
Why Sofia Coppola Was Cast As Mary Corleone In The Godfather Part III
Winona Ryder Dropped Out At The Last Minute Due To Health Issues
It was easy for critics to deride Sofia Coppola’s casting inThe Godfather Part IIIas a blatant act of nepotism, but it was a little more complicated than that. Winona Ryder, one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood at the time, had originally been cast as Mary. However, shortly before filming was due to begin,Ryder had to drop out. She suffered from a nervous collapse andher doctor advised her that if she went back to work, she would have a complete breakdown.
The Godfather Part III Might Be The Worst Of The Series, But It Finally Did Justice To The Corleone Family’s Forgotten Sibling
The Godfather Part III might be the worst movie in the trilogy by far, but it finally gave Connie Corleone the larger role she always deserved.
So, the movie lost its leading lady with very short notice. Francis Ford Coppola was faced with a choice between delaying the production and finding a replacement at the last minute.Sofia Coppola had already been filling in for Ryder during the rehearsalsforThe Godfather Part III, so it made sense to give her the role. She did the best she could under the circumstances, and her performance (as well as the movie itself) have since been reappraised.
The Godfather Part III
Cast
The Godfather Part III: Released on June 15, 2025, this third installment in Francis Ford Coppola’s trilogy follows Michael Corleone’s efforts to legitimize his crime family’s interests in 1979 while dealing with his past sins and mentoring a young protege in both New York and Italy.
