Thread by @Library_Babel1

There are offers you cannot refuse, yet - there were few who succeeded.

The story of Marlon Brando and the making of The Godfather.

The sixties turned the actor who was considered the biggest rising star in the Hollywood sky, Marlon Brando, into a box office failure. Film critics and old fans that in the previous decade crowned Brando now marked the end of his career.

Brando's behavior on set only fueled the rumors regarding his unstable moods and obnoxious behavior - rumors that made him one of the most talked about, and at the same time, least desirable actors in the film industry.

Francis Ford Coppola was not moved by all this.

When the young director offered Brando to Paramount Pictures for the role of Vito Corleone - the head of the Italian-American crime family in New York in the 1940s, he received a negative response on the spot.

Coppola depicts a surreal scene: he fell out of his chair and clutched the carpet in disapproval, leaving the executives stunned.

Faced with such an unusual scene, they folded and in response set three conditions for their agreement they probably believed would be impossible.

Brando would perform a filmed audition, promise in writing that his behavior would not in any way delay the shooting and perform the role without payment.

Coppola jumped on the terms and called Brando, whom he did not know.

Little did the intrigued Brando know that the "tryout" arranged at his home to watch him step into the shoes of an aging Italian mobster was actually an audition and that behind the scenes Coppola was fighting at the studios for his salary.

Although he appeared in less than half of the film, Brando's mesmerizing performance as Don Corleone earned him renewed fame and contributed to "The Godfather" becoming a cinematic classic almost upon its release.

It was clear to the viewers of the film and to those in the know that Brando would probably pick up his second Oscar, but he hastened to declare that he was boycotting the entire ceremony.

What went wrong?

Despite Brando's image as a demanding drama queen, over the years he supported for a series of political struggles inside and outside the US. In the 1970s, he became involved in the struggle of the Native American community against the injustices of the past.

Brando considered his high-profile candidacy For the award for best actor of '73, a golden opportunity.

When Brando's name was called out as the winner of the award, he was replaced by Sacheen 'Little Feather', an actress of Native-American origin dressed in traditional clothes.

Sacheen refused to accept the award on his behalf and to mixed boos and applause explained that it was the racist and distorted image of the Native-American reflected in the films of the Hollywood industry that led Brando to refuse the greatest honor an actor can ask for.