Caan storms off Russell’s set

Posted on April 24, 2008
Filed Under Actors, Actresses, Directors

We all remember James Caan’s character Sonny from “The Godfather” (1972). He was the oldest son of New York City Mafia Don Vito Corleone and without a doubt the most impulsive and violent of Vito’s children. This image of James Caan is still very present and it comes as no surprise to me that ol’ Sonny has “stormed of the set”. Still, I didn’t know that David Russell was such a… hothead (see the YouTube clip at the end of this post). The Hollywood Reporter tells us that James Caan has left the political comedy “Nailed” in a dramatic fashion. A dispute with director David O. Russell led him to storm off the set, and it all seems to have centered on a cookie.

The trouble started Wednesday on the first of Caan’s two days of shooting the role of a U.S. speaker of the house who chokes to death on a cookie. Russell asked him to cough as he choked, but Caan argued that the character couldn’t cough and choke to death at the same time.

Russell suggested that they shoot it both ways, but the actor expressed distrust that his version would be considered and left the set. The director had well-documented differences with George Clooney (in which the two came to blows on the set of “Three Kings“) and Lily Tomlin (in heated verbal exchanges on the set of “I Heart Huckabees” as seen last year on YouTube).

Producer Douglas Wick said the discussion was “part of an ongoing creative conversation between the actor and director” and that Russell has behaved professionally throughout the shoot. Caan’s part is being recast. The shoot began April 15.

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