James Caan Quotes

 

My acting technique is to look up at God just before the camera rolls and say, 'Give me a break.'

 

One night I went over to get some dope from some Hollywood tough guy. After I left, my son Scott, who was only fifteen, went over with a baseball bat to kill him. I was laughing out of one eye and crying out of the other. I thought, Who am I kidding?

 

I always thought of myself as some sort of athlete until I started playing golf a couple years ago.

 

People say, 'Gee, you do a lot of mafia movies.' I think I've done two, out of 60.

 

To get over my divorce, I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while.

 

It is that, but really, it's about how we don't recognise the little things in life, or appreciate the little things in life like belonging. A sense of belonging is a big thing today.

 

I went to a shrink once, but I caught him going to a fortune-teller so I quit.

 

I'm sort of a Walter Mitty. I got fewer brain cells than most people, so when I got friendly with cowboys, I started rodeoing. When I was calf-roping, there was something about the dirt that made me feel clean.

 

I never rode a bull - I'm not that stupid.

 

I think we have to believe in things we don't see. That's really important for all of us, whether it's your religion or Santa Claus, or whatever. That's pretty much what it's about.

 

Saving a letter from an old friend doesn't exist anymore. Everything is texted or emailed.

 

I lost my passion for work. No, that's a negative statement. I just had a bigger passion for something else, for my son, and growing up with him.

 

People are always backing up when I'm just going to shake their hands.

 

Quite often I'm misunderstood when I say, 'It's not my life, it's my job.' People think that means I don't give a shit. Sure, I want to be the best actor in the world. But my life is my family, my son, my friends. I don't know how anyone can find fault with that. For some reason when you say, 'It's my job' it sounds like 'Who gives a shit?' Well, that's not it at all. What I do quite honestly and seriously and not in any way being humble is not as important as what the garbage collector does. People make actors important. I go to the movies, I stand on line minding my own business and the manager goes, 'Mr. Caan, Mr. Caan.' And I say, 'No, no, no, I'm OK. I'll stand on the line.' 'Oh, you can't.' So, finally they take you through the line and the other 40 people go, 'Hey, Mr. Bigshot.' And I was just minding my own business, I just wanted to stand there. But other people make it very important that I'm an actor.

 

[on being voted "Italian of the Year" in New York twice, after his role as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather"]: I'm a Jew from the Bronx. I feel guilty about accepting these awards, but they wouldn't let me turn them down.

                                    ***Yes, Jimmy. I'm an Italian girl from Chicago and oh boy, do we love you!!!!***