10 Insane Reasons Actors Didn’t Return for Sequels

The Godfather is rightly hailed as one of the finest films ever made, arguably topped only by the sequel, The Godfather Part II, that released just two years later. Though the stories revolved around the Corleone family, one of the most important characters was Peter Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano).

Don Vito's (Marlon Brando) capo uttered the iconic cannoli line in the original film, which, if Francis Ford Copolla is to be believed, ultimately led to the character not returning to the story in the sequel. Clemenza was present in the narrative based in the past, with Bruno Kirby stepping in to play the young version of the character, but Castellano was not involved in the storyline of the present.

According to the director, after the actor ad-libbed the famous line in which Clemenza told Rocco Lampone (Tom Rosqui) to take the gun and leave the cannoli after the murder of Paulie Gatto (John Martino), Castellano wanted a bigger pay packet as well as dialogue approval for the sequel. The two requests were shot down, resulting in Clemenza being written out of the story.

This was refuted by the actor, who claimed he opted against returning to the role as it would have seen Clemenza testifying against the Corleone family, which he felt was completely against the nature of the character. That, and that he was asked to gain weight after losing 194 lbs to play young Clemenza. Regardless of which story is the truth, they are both insane.