Movies Nicolas Cage says he begged uncle Francis Ford Coppola to cast him in Godfather: Part III "It just wasn’t going to happen." By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 5, 2022 01:27PM EST Nicolas Cage made his director uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, an offer he was able to refuse. While in conversation with Andrew Garfield, Jonathan Majors, Peter Dinklage, and Simon Rex for The Hollywood Reporter's Actors Roundtable published Wednesday, Cage said he implored Coppola—his paternal uncle—to cast him in his film The Godfather: Part III—but "it just wasn't going to happen." The actor had been vying for the role of Vincent Corleone, son of Sonny Corleone (James Caan) and his mistress Lucy Mancini (Jeannie Linero), in the third installment of the franchise. It ultimately went to Andy Garcia, who garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance. Nicolas Cage with uncle Francis Ford Coppola. Vince Bucci/Getty Images The revelation came after Cage and co. were asked about movies they would love to make. "This is a very embarrassing answer to your question, okay, because it involves family," Cage said. "So Uncle [Coppola] was doing Godfather III, and I said, 'I really think I ought to be in your movie, Uncle. I really think it's a good idea if you would cast me. I think I could play this part.'" Coppola had already been set on casting Garcia, but "I said, 'But I just see myself more as James Caan's son, and he's playing Sonny's son. He's not playing Michael's son. He's Sonny's son. I just feel a little more James Caan,'" Cage said. "It just wasn't going to happen. So that was a movie I didn't get let in that I really wanted to be in." Andy Garcia as Vincent Mancini in 'The Godfather: Part III'. Everett Collection Godfather III debuted in theaters on Christmas Day in 1990. At the time, Cage already had memorable turns in Moonstruck and Raising Arizona. He had also already starred in his uncle's Rumble Fish and The Cotton Club. Coppola previously shared that Cage, as well as Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Billy Zane, Matt Dillon, Charlie Sheen, and Val Kilmer, competed for the Vincent role. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Nicolas Cage says he 'left my body' while filming this iconic Face/Off scene Best of 2021 (Behind the Scenes): Meet the chef who taught Nicolas Cage how to cook like a pro in Pig Nicolas Cage goes meta to save the world in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent teaser