Very few roles in cinema are as instantly recognizable asMarlon Brandoas Don Vito Corleone inThe Godfather. It’s widely regarded as among his best work and proof of his genius as an artist, despite hismany controversies.Nearly everything about the way Don Corleone is presented onscreen comes from Brando himselfand his construction of the character, from his corpulent manners and hoarse voice to his iconic cheeks. What’s evenmore impressiveabout this is how Brando came up withthese character traitson the spot during a screen test,making for an excellent behind-the-scenes story.
Marlon Brando Came up With Don Corleone’s Cheeks During a Screen Test
Marlon Brando is simultaneouslyone of the best actors and most controversial figures in Hollywood history,and his reputation for both was already well-established in the early 1970s. Despite this, directorFrancis Ford Coppolaand originalThe GodfatherauthorMario Puzowere adamant about wanting Brando for the role of Don Corleone, according to The Smithsonian Magazine.After some begging on Coppola’s part, he was allowed a screen test with Brandoto prove he was the right man for the job. Coppola recalls this legendary screen testin an interviewwith The Hollywood Reporter.The director and the studio entourage arrived at the actor’s house on Mulholland Drive before Brando was even up, soCoppola took the time to set up a few props for him, like Italian meats, cheese, cigars, and other household items. “There’s a rumble and the door opens, and in walks this beautiful man with long blond hair, in a Japanese robe,” as Coppola describes Brando, looking like the opposite of Don Corleone.
Brando then noticed the props and immediately understood what was going on. “He took his hair… He did it up himself in the back, and he took shoe polish, and he made it black, and he put on a shirt,” says Coppola.Brando suggested that the character’s voice be hoarse and that she should “look like a bulldog,“proceeding to stuff tissues inside his cheeks. Brandoeven answered a phone call in characterduring the test. The resulting footage of the screen test wasimpressive enoughto convince the Paramount executives,and Brando got the role.
During Filming, Brando Wore a Special Mouthpiece To Play Don Corleone
It’s simply impossible to conceive of Don Corleone looking like anything else other than his stern looks and protruding jawline, and Brando was obviously not aware thathe had created one of the most iconic looks in cinema history.What he didn’t think of at that time was thathe would have to wear that look in every scene ofThe Godfatherhis character was in, and that it wouldn’t be practical or even hygenic to keep stuffing Kleenex in his mouth to do it. Fortunately, he didn’t have to.
Dick Smithwas the makeup artist responsible for Brando during the filming ofThe Godfather. Having previously studied to pursuea career in dentistry, Smith came up withan appliance known as a “dental plumper,” which Brando had to wearto create Don Corleone’s “bulldog-ish” look. The prototype was made of foam latex to feel more comfortable inside the actor’s mouth, but it didn’tquite achieve the indended look, so Smith reworked it, now using steel and resin to make the final version: a steel wire running along Brando’s lower teeth with two resin pieces attached to it at the sides. This pushed Brando’s cheeks forward,extending his jawline and thus achieving the iconic bulldog look.
Marlon Brando Made Bank for ‘The Godfather,’ but Not Because of His Salary
An offer he almost refused.
Because of his work onThe Godfather, Smith eventually came to be known as the “Godfather of Makeup.“He would spend around an hour and a half applying makeup on Brandoand even had to develop aspecial techniqueto avoid using external prosthetics to achieve Don Corleone’s older appearance. Smith would go on to win an Oscar for his work onAmadeusand also worked on classics such asThe Exorcist,The Godfather: Part II, andTaxi Driver.
Brando’s Screen Test Helped Him Secure the Role in ‘The Godfather’
While Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo wanted only Marlon Brando for the role of Don Corleone, theParamountleadershipwantedanyone but Brando. At that time, although he had alreadycemented himself as a Hollywood legendin the 1950s, his reputation played against him because he lined up a series of box-office and critical flops during the 1960s. Not just that, but he was also widely known to be an extremely difficult actor to work with, whichmade him almost toxic to movies that aimed for critical acclaim and good box-office performance.
Brando only secured the role of Don Corleone after his screen test with Coppola.The footage was shown to the head of Gulf and Western, (the owner of Paramount at that time), but he wasn’t told whose test it was.The executive was transfixed by what he was seeing and immediately asked who it was, and that’s how Brando was finally welcomed intoThe Godfathercast. His work not only redefined his career but also shapedThe Godfatherinto something unique, thanks to his artistic insight. Iconic moments, like Don Corleoneholding a catat the beginning of the film and himusing an orangeto pretend he was a vampire with his grandson, all came from him andjust wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for him.
The Godfather
Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son, Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.
