A Real Life Mobster Joined the Cast of The Godfather After Marlon Brando Mooned the Mafia From His Car

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film, The Godfather, has gained recognition as one of the most influential movies of all time, notably within the gangster genre. However, one of the intriguing aspects of the Hollywood classic is the noteworthy participation of the real-life mafia, so much so that the filmmaker ended up casting a real-life mobster, Lenny Montana into the movie to play the role of Vito Corleone’s enforcer, Luca Brasi.

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The Godfather Featured a Real Life Mobster

The development of Francis Ford Coppola’s crime film, The Godfather, reportedly involved significant influence from mobsters and the mafia. The Italian-American Civil Rights League, known to be led by the mobster Joseph Colombo, attempted to stop the production of the movie.

However, producer Albert S. Ruddy negotiated with Colombo, agreeing to eliminate the term ‘mafia’ from the script. He also promised roles and jobs to League members, resulting in mob-connected extras being included in the film.

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Among these extras was also Lenny Montana, who worked as an enforcer for the Colombo family. The six-foot-six and 320-pound former wrestler caught Coppola’s eye, and he decided to cast him in the role of Corleone family hitman Luca Brasi.

Montana was a huge fan of Marlon Brando and reportedly struggled with his lines and had difficulty performing. And the filmmaker incorporated Montana’s nervousness into multiple scenes. The Oscar-winning actor also made efforts to make him feel more comfortable.

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The Godfather Star Mooned The Mob Members

Marlon Brando reportedly wasn’t too pleased with the arrangement of having the mobsters on the set. “Several members of the crew were in the Mafia and four or five mafiosi had minor parts,” he said in his autobiography, as per Vanity Fair. Actor Robert Duvall has also recalled their playful antics on set, which also included mooning contests.

One notable incident occurred during the filming of the grand wedding scene. Reports claim that Brando, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, decided to drop his pants and moon the large crowd, which included mob-associated extras as well. James Caan, who played Sonny Corleone, in the movie has shared that they had a belt made for the actor “after he mooned 500 extras one day.”

The behind-the-scenes stories related to The Godfather highlight the unique and unconventional atmosphere during the production of the movie, as it had extensive influence from the mob but still included quirky interactions among the cast.

The Godfather is available to stream on Paramount+.