When Francis Ford Coppola announced that he planned to make a sequel to his classic Godfather films, most actors in Hollywood dusted off their resumes and clamored for a role on the film.
When it became time to cast the role of Mary Corleone, Francis Ford Coppola originally had just one name on his list- Winona Ryder. Winona had gained positive attention from her performances in both the big budget film Beetlejuice and the low budget indie Heathers.
At the time, however, Ms. Ryder was dating Johnny Depp and chose to star alongside him in the film Edward Scissorhands. Coppola then turned to his list of up and coming actresses and decided to screen test Rebecca Schaefer for the role. Rebecca had just starred in My Sister Sam, a television show starring Pam Dawber that crashed and burned on CBS after just two seasons. It was her performance in the edgy Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills that had brought Coppola’s attention. Sadly, she never made it to the screen test after a deranged stalker shot and killed her at her apartment’s front door.
By this point, Coppola was frustrated by his seemingly bad luck in casting this crucial role. He was so frustrated by it that he made a terrible decision- he cast his daughter Sofia Coppola in the role. While she has since acquitted herself with a successful directing career, her acting in The Godfather, Part III was so bad that she dragged the film down with her. Her climactic scene in which her character was shot and killed allegedly caused some audiences to cheer.
