Duvall Not in ‘Godfather III’ Because Producers Are ‘Cheap’

Robert Duvall, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as the family lawyer in “The Godfather” and played the same character in “Godfather, Part II,” is not appearing in “Godfather, Part III” because the producers are “cheap,” the actor says.

“There are two or three other actors in that film being paid more than I was offered,” Duvall said in an interview to be published in Parade magazine Sunday. “That just isn’t right.

“You know how cheap they are. (Director Francis Ford) Coppola came to my farm in Virginia to ask me to do the film, and I fed him on Maryland crab cakes from my mother’s recipe, and he called me a couple of days later, and I got the impression he was more interested in the recipe for the crab cakes than getting me to play the role.”

Asked how he feels about turning 60 next year, Duvall replied, “I’m still doing things I shouldn’t do. I’m conservative in my lifestyle, but in my work I take risks. I know more now, so I can do things--some things better than when I was young.”