Andy Garcia on City Island, Fatherhood and Dreams of Godfather IV

Vince has to come to terms with her womanhood, though, which he has a hard time doing. How does Andy Garcia tap into that?

Well, you know, it's a natural thing for fathers to be protective of their children. Also, it's just like the old cliche: Who's the guy knocking at the door? You know what I mean? My daughter's growing up, she's not a little girl anymore, and who's this guy coming to knock on the door? Is he trustworthy? It's an old cliche because it's true. If you have children you'll know. Or, in the experience of having my first boy, who are those boys he's hanging around with? Are they gonna influence him the wrong way?

I was reading you didn't want to watch her scenes in the strip club?

Enh, that gets blown out of proportion. She wasn't stripping, she was pole dancing. But the conceit was, "How do you feel about it?" Well, first, it's a PG-13 movie. It's done with reserve. I totally trust my daughter handle those situations in the way she needs or wants to handle them. It wasn't a scene where I should have been there because... I can only articulate how she feels: "I don't want you there. You're my father in the movie, you have no business being in that strip club. You're just going to spoil that reality for me as my father -- and as Vince Rizzo." So why be there? Why spoil that world of imagination she's creating for herself by seeing me off-camera?

Veering away for a second: We're 20 years on from The Godfather Part III, which occupies kind of a weird place in history. Coppola mentioned last year that The Godfather maybe never should have had sequels. What's your take on how it's perceived two decades later -- both culturally and personally?

I can tell you one thing: I mean, for myself, it was a great blessing and a great honor to be in that series and to work with Francis and Al and Diane and the people involved in that movie. The Godfather was a movie that had a great inspiration in my life. It was one of the reasons I wanted to become an actor -- just because of that movie. But really as a movie, not because of all the actors in the movie. I wanted to be in that world, to achieve that with my life, you know? The fact that that dream became a very practical reality was a great blessing and a great honor for me.

And to me, people perceive that movie only in positive ways. I've never received anything negative from The Godfather Part III anywhere in the world. If anything, on a daily basis, anywhere I go in my life, I get, "Hey, man, when's Godfather IV?" So there's an appetite for another one. Whether Francis has it or not is a totally different story. But in terms of the people out there? They want to see another one, as far as I can see. Seriously, there's not a day in my life... "Andy, when's Godfather IV? Let's go! Let's go! Let's get if off the ground!" And I just say: "I'll do it if Francis will do it. I'm not in control of that decision, you know what I mean?"

Have you ever brought that up with Coppola?

Well, there was a time when it was brewing. Initially there was an idea of doing one with two parallel stories -- one follows a contemporary version of my character, and then one in the '30s. Francis wanted Mario Puzo to write one, and it began to come together. I suggested Leonardo DiCaprio might be the right age -- at that time -- for Sonny, and it started gathering some momentum. So Francis said, "OK, let's commission a script." But Mario Puzo passed away, and all that energy fell away. And that was years ago -- at least 10 years ago. So it's really a Francis thing. It's something that he would have to revisit. I don't think anyone else can direct that film. I certainly would jump at the chance to do it with him. Are you kidding? It's Francis Ford Coppola! When Zeus calls, you gotta show up.

Speaking of directing, what's happening with your project Hemingway and Fuentes? Are you still planing that with Anthony Hopkins?

Yes. Right now I'm in the financing mode. It's an independent film, but the budget's a a little bit larger than sometimes independent films can muster. So I'm still in that struggle, but hopefully I can talk to you in the near future about how you liked the film.

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