E-mail a friendJames Caan
airdate August 7, 2006
James Caan is best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Godfather. Although from a German Jewish family, he's a two-time recipient of New York's "Italian of the Year" award. Caan played football at Michigan State University, where he studied economics. He also has a black belt in karate and was a regular on the rodeo circuit. A graduate of NYC's Neighborhood Playhouse, Caan's film credits include Misery, Honeymoon in Vegas and Eraser. He currently stars in the NBC TV series Las Vegas.
James Caan
Tavis: "...Vegas." So you're back on television nowadays. You love this. The show's a hit.
James Caan: We're back. Well, since 'Brian's Song,' yeah.
Tavis: 'Brian's Song,' yeah.
Caan: My one time.
Tavis: Yeah. It's a long gap.
Caan: Well, yeah. I was busy. I did some movies, and then I quit for about six years and coached kids for six years, and that was great. And then I woke up one morning and found out I was broke. That coaching didn't pay a whole lot.
Tavis: (Laughs) Yeah. Gotta get back to work.
Caan: And there some other little hanky-panky going on in the accountant's office. But nonetheless, yeah, so I went back to work. I moved to Park City for a couple of years with my kids, thought that was kind of nice for them. I saw all these kids running around the neighborhood, and sleepovers. In L.A., if you want a sleepover with your kids, you have to trade, like, Social Security numbers, the F.B.I. checks them out.
Tavis: Exactly. (Laughs) Security check, yeah.
Caan: Yeah. And then they drive in their Mercedes 45 minutes. And it's, like, impossible. So we went up there. But my wife couldn't shop, so we left.
Tavis: Had to come back.
Caan: And I found that absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder. It makes them think you're dead. I came back after two years, somebody said, jeez, Jim, you look good. What am I, Anthony Quinn? What do you mean? (Laughs) Jesus. So.
Tavis: What did you learn during that six year hiatus? Other than the fact you were broke, what did you learn in that six year hiatus? That's a long time to stay away.
Caan: Well, when I lost my sister, to be serious for a minute, (laughs) it just destroyed me. Because she was like my best friend, and truthfully the only person on Earth that I was really afraid off. She scared the, oh, man.
Tavis: Wow.
Caan: She'd curse me, and then she'd tell me, like, what are you doing Saturday night, she said? I said, nothing, Barbara. She said, well, there was some charity at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Eight o'clock. And you know that blue suit? Yeah. She said, wear that blue suit. You know that red tie with that thing? Be there at 8:00. And I'd, okay. (Laughs) She was tough.
But when I lost her, I just realized, like, I got into this whole thing, and I had my son, Scott, and that if there wasn't passion involved, I just decided I didn't wanna do it. My least favorite expression in the world is I don't care. You know what I mean?
Tavis: Yeah.
Caan: I don't care. Do you want to play tennis? I don't care. Well then, go screw yourself. Go play by yourself. I want to know if I play you that I beat you on that day when you were trying. You imagine making love to somebody, I don't care.
Tavis: I don't care, yeah.
Caan: Yeah, that don't work.
Tavis: No, at all. (Laughs)
Caan: So I just kind of felt like that about my whole life, 'cause I was so passionate about my sister, and she was a passionate girl, and maybe that's, like, the Italian in me, too. So, either love it or hate it, that's cool. But the middle ground is boring.
Tavis: I assume, listening to you, then, at some point what had been a passion for you dissipated?
Caan: Yeah. I was very - it's hard today, too. These movies that - I came along at a real good time. I feel bad for my son, as far as my career is concerned. But I always tell my son, Scott's doing great, and he loves it, and really happy that he loves it. But we didn't have, in the late seventies, and those wonderful writers and wonderful directors.
And they're around today, but they don't seem to use them too much (laughs) is the difference.
But, so I had that opportunity to work with people who cared. But it's not about the job. The passion is - the job is secondary. I always used to say that acting isn't my life. And people would right away assume that that meant I didn't care.
Tavis: Right.
Caan: No, I didn't say that. I want to be the best actor in the world, but my family is first, my friends are second, third, and the only lecture I give some of these young actors is, like, look, I don't care what heights you achieve in this business. The only thing that's inevitable that you're gonna slide back, the degree of which varies from actor to actor.
But if you put all of your passion and everything you care about into that basket, when that slide happens, those are the guys that hurt themselves. You can't, it's a fickle business. And it's true; you're only as good as your last movie and whatnot. So that's important. So my passion wasn't about - when I worked, I was passionate.
I never did a movie that I thought was, like, for the money. I don't why I did so many stinkers, but (laughs) unfortunately, I gotta live with my opinion. (Laughs) But yeah, I lost - I just really wanted to love something. Or, and if it was okay. And I had the best time ever. I coached kids, and for six years, Little League, and Scott was great. And I went nuts. I had a batting cage from the Dodgers in my back yard, and I was...
Tavis: So what kind of coach were you, screaming, yelling, throwing stuff?
Caan: Only good. A lot of vocal, but only good stuff.
Tavis: Only good stuff, okay.
Caan: No bad stuff. And I had the greatest experience. Today my favorite thing is I walk down the street, and there's some kid, a couple of my boys went to college on scholarship. And hey, Coach. (Laughs) So, that makes me feel pretty good. And poor Scott, I was throwing ground balls at him two hours a day, and then I started to think of the Jimmy Pearsol story.
I said, this guy, I'm gonna drive him nuts. I better lighten up here a little bit. But he was good. But that creative need that was fulfilled instantaneously. You didn't have to wait, like, six months for them to put music and all that stuff to it. You change a kid's life in a minute.
Tavis: You're a long way from done, I assume, but I also assume that you are, to your point earlier, that you've done a few stinkers. Everybody has in his or her career. But I assume that at this point you are, in retrospect, happy with your body of work.
Caan: Yeah.
Tavis: You comfortable with it?
Caan: Yeah, I'm proud of it.
Tavis: It's quite a body.
Caan: I tried very hard not to duplicate. You know what I mean? Like remakes. And I tried from the beginning. The third picture, I had an Irish accent. I played somebody else. And so I've tried to vary it up, and I've been really fortunate to work with wonderful people. And I learned throughout the years that - and it's automatic. The most talented people in the world are the nicest.
Tavis: That's our show for tonight. Catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. See you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from L.A., thanks for watching, and as always, keep the faith.
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