Winona Ryder Could Have Saved ‘The Godfather Part III’

The Big Picture

• The Godfather
  is considered a masterpiece in the gangster genre and is highly regarded even 50 years after its release.
• The Godfather Part III
  received criticism, partially due to Sofia Coppola’s wooden-like acting performance.
• Winona Ryder was originally cast as Mary Corleone but had to leave the film due to doctor-recommended reasons, which led Francis Ford Coppola to cast his daughter, Sofia Coppola.

If you ask a group of people what they believe to be the greatest film ever made it’s almost a guarantee at least one person will say The Godfather, and it’s not hard to understand why. The Francis Ford Coppola-directed film became an instant success, shaping the gangster genre and in the process creating a perfect film — Even now, 50 years after its release. Though The Godfather wasn’t the first movie of its kind, Coppola opted for a more in-depth approach to his story and characters. He based his film in immigrant culture and dug deep into the complexity of mobsters and their strict code of honor. It’s a masterpiece no doubt, and was followed up by two sequels; The Godfather Part II in 1974 and The Godfather Part III in 1990, the latter of which caused much of a stir.

While Part II is regarded just as highly as its predecessor, Part III catches a lot of flack. It’s not a bad film but in comparison to its counterparts, it’s noticeably weaker. While some of the criticism is directed at the plot, a lot of it is pushed onto the acting performance given by Sofia Coppola. Nowadays, Sofia is an acclaimed filmmaker herself, with films like The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette making her a beloved household name. But her performance in The Godfather Part III was hard to ignore and wooden-like. However, it’s hard to really call her out on her performance when she was never supposed to be in the role in the first place. The role of Mary Corleone was originally given to Winona Ryder, but when Ryder had to leave the film at the last minute, Coppola was left scrambling for a replacement. His daughter, Sofia, was visiting while on break from college and given that he based the role of Mary on her, he figured it was a no-brainer that she should be Ryder’s replacement. But that last-minute decision, while sweet in theory, caused the film to garner some not-so-sweet chatter.

Why Did Winona Ryder Leave the Role?

At the time of filming, Winona Ryder was slowly becoming a household name, with some iconic films like Beetlejuice and Heathers already under her belt. The role of Mary Corleone was one of high demand, with Julia Roberts and Madonna in talks for the role. But it ultimately went to Ryder, who at the time production for the film began, was filming Mermaids. Coppola re-arranged the schedule for her to be able to wrap the film and join on for The Godfather Part III. But despite arriving in Rome, Ryder’s inclusion was never to be. A lot of headlines at the time talked of Ryder dropping out of the part in the most dramatic of fashions, like it was a scandal of sorts. But in reality, it was a lot more worrisome than that. There wasn’t behind-the-scenes drama or arguments with the cast and crew that led to Ryder’s departure, it was actually doctor recommended.

After wrapping on Mermaids, Ryder landed in Rome and had only one day before she was scheduled for her first scene in Part III. That one day was spent being fitted for the part. During the fitting, staff noticed that she appeared tired and that something seemed wrong. She was only set to deliver a handful of lines the next day, and so not much was mentioned of it, that is, until the next morning when Ryder didn’t answer her call. Johnny Depp, who was Ryder’s boyfriend at the time and accompanied her to Rome, phoned the studio to inform them that she wasn’t going to be able to do her scene that day. He said that she wasn’t well and couldn’t get out of bed. A doctor was dispatched and sent to check on her and, after examining her, determined that she was suffering from nervous collapse. The doctor said that she could not return to work and that, if she tried, she would suffer a complete breakdown.

Paramount president Sidney Ganis spoke to Vanity Fair and said:

“We tried to convince her that it would be OK to come back to work, and we did everything from talking to the local doctors to trying ourselves to go over and reason with her: ‘Winona, everything’s going to be OK; these are friendly folks.'”

But it was no use. Once Ryder was stable enough to do so, she boarded a plane back to California, leaving the role of Mary Corleone empty.

Winona Ryder Could Have Saved The Role

Nowadays, we know Winona Ryder as one of the Hollywood greats. She’s continuously turned in phenomenal performances in her career, with the Netflix original series Stranger Things marking her landmark return to acting. Had things worked out, there’s not a doubt she could have turned in a stunning performance as Mary Corleone. At the time Ryder was just being put on the map, but her career was quickly taking off, and Hollywood loved her, as did audiences. While there’s no telling if her addition to the cast would have truly saved the film from hearty criticism, but it certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

Winona Ryder finally did get to work with Francis Ford Coppola though, and we saw a blip of what could have been when she starred in his adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In a 1992 interview, Ryder talked of how this came to be. “I never really thought he would read it. He was so consumed with Godfather III. As I was leaving, I said, ‘If you have a chance, read this script.’ He glanced down at it politely, but when he saw the word Dracula, his eyes lit up. It was one of his favorite stories from camp.” While we’ll never get to see Ryder’s take on Mary Corleone, we can at least be comforted in knowing that she and Coppola did reunite and give us a great film a couple of years later. Sure Dracula and The Godfather are starkly different stories, but Ryder and Coppola are a wonderful match in filmmaking.

The Godfather Part III is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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