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Relaxing on the Calgary set of The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie, Sonny Corleone himself, Hollywood veteran James Caan, says he's learned not to shoot off his mouth.
"It's not always smart to be frank," admits the 63-year-old actor whose resume includes The Godfather, Misery and Thief.
"I'm not a very good liar. But I have softened quite a bit. I'm not quite as opinionated as I have been in the past."
But mention a movie that Caan has made and lived to regret and he's his old, shockingly honest self, launching into a lacerating evisceration of one project in particular.
(The film's identity will remain anonymous -- one, because it was an off-the-record chat and, two, because Caan, wishing not to knock the filmmakers in print, reminded this writer that "I know your face." And no one messes with Sonny.)
OLD FRIENDS
Produced by Calgary-based Nomadic Pictures for $5.7 million, The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie features Caan as a school principal who intervenes in the life of a troubled student, introducing him to Mrs. Ritchie (Gena Rowlands), a wise old lady who helps the boy cope with a family secret.
It's an autobiographical story from writer-director Paul Johansson, who grew up in Kelowna, B.C., and made his mark with acting gigs in Beverly Hills 90210 and John Q.
"Jimmy Caan is golden," enthuses producer Chad Oakes. "I owe him a lot of fishing trips for this."
Outdoor excursions aside, Caan took the role -- squeezing it between two other flicks -- because of his friendship with Rowlands.
Between takes in her trailer, the actress has more than the role of Mrs. Ritchie to celebrate. She's up for a best actress Emmy for her performance in the television movie Wild Iris. She'll head to Los Angeles Saturday for Sunday's awards.
"I'm delighted," says Rowlands. No stranger to awards, she's a two-time Oscar nominee and two-time Emmy winner.
Mrs. Ritchie marks something of a family affair for the actress, whose husband was legendary maverick director -- and forbearer to the indie likes of Quentin Tarantino -- John Cassavetes. Her son, Nick Cassavetes, a director of such films as John Q, is one of Mrs. Ritchie's producers.
"It doesn't hurt having any Cassavetes on the other side of the camera," she remarks.
"Gena's an old friend," says Caan. "She asked and Nick Cassavetes is one of the producers. I met with the director, Paul, and he's a good guy ... If (the script) was awful, I wouldn't have done it. I've done that before and it's come back to hit me in the face: I'm supposed to appear (in a movie) with no billing and then suddenly, it's on Entertainment Tonight that I'm the co-star. Or, yeah, they put me in the trailer ... But that's not the case here."
Later on, while praising James Gray, who directed Caan in The Yards, the actor laughs about loyalty: "It's easy to remain loyal to someone who's really great."
Which may, conversely, describe the moviegoing public's own relationship with Caan. A genuine Tinseltown survivor, Caan saw his career -- red-hot in the '70s -- go cold in the '80s.
His penchant for truth-telling -- coupled with bad-boy behaviour -- started to affect how potential employers saw him.
"The stories outside started to affect the life inside," he says. "But I've been in 68, 70 movies and never missed a day."
Among those who helped him through the tough times, Caan cites Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola -- "Francis was always a loyal friend" -- and the brain trust of production company Castle Rock, led by his Misery director Rob Reiner, which also made Honeymoon in Vegas.
These days, Caan says he's enjoying his work more than ever -- appreciating the success he took for granted in years past.
That includes getting through the Ritchie shoot. Caan, who got into town Saturday, is due to leave tomorrow.
"I have (all my scenes) in three days. It's MacBeth on the first day, Hamlet on the second. I have 900 lines in three days."
The good news? "I haven't hit anyone in three days."
We're pretty sure he was kidding.