'Godfather' star James Caan recalls the unique way he loosened up the actor who played Corleone family enforcer Luca Brasi before his big scene

• Caan, who played Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather," recalled how he loosened up Lenny Montana.
• Director Francis Ford Coppola was angry at Montana (Luca Brasi), who kept messing up his lines.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece "The Godfather," one of the stars of the movie, James Caan reminisced about how he loosened up the actor who played one of the movie's iconic characters.

Former professional wrestler Lenny Montana was cast as the Corleone crime family's most feared enforcer Luca Brasi. But Caan, who played hothead Sonny Corleone, recalled to The New York Post that it was clear being on a hyped movie that featured one of the greats like Marlon Brando, who played Don Corleone, was intimidating for Montana.

This was evident, Caan said, in the scene where Montana as Brasi goes to Don Corleone to pay his respects on his daughter's wedding day. The actor said Coppola was getting frustrated that Montana kept flubbing his lines.

"Francis comes running out and said to me, 'Jimmy, do something!'" Caan recalled. "I said, 'What are you talking about Francis?' He said, 'Do something with him.' I said, 'What do you want me to do with that fucking beast?' 'Do something to goose him up, do some of your shit.'"

Caan had an idea, he said.

"I grab Lenny and said, 'Lenny, come here. You gotta do something when you open the door,'" Caan said. "I was trying to give him this snow job. 'When you say, "Don Corleone," stick your tongue out' — his tongue looked like a shoebox for fuck's sake — 'and I'll put a piece of tape on it that says "Fuck you." He was like a baby, 'Oh, Jimmy, don't make me do this,' and I said, 'Lenny, please, it's humor, everyone's gonna laugh and you'll feel better. Please do this for me.'"

Montana agreed and did another take of the scene where he walks into Don Corleone's office to pay his respects.

"They say 'Action!' and that's when he says, "Don Corleone" — he sticks his tongue out and everybody falls down laughing. He was smiling. He was happy. Marlon's line was, 'Luca, my most cherished friend,' and when [Montana] did that scene he had "Fuck you" written on his tongue, too."

Though it's one of the few times we hear Montana speak in the movie, it's the way Coppola used the legend of Luca Brasi as a brutal killer for the mob family that made the character one of the most memorable in the 1972 movie.

It made it all the more shocking when he's dramatically killed not long after. And what "Godfather" fan can forget the parting shot to the Brasi character, with one of the most famous lines in movie history?

As the Corleone family is looking for Brasi after a hit has been put on Don Corleone, a package arrives at the Corleone house. It's placed on Sonny Corleone's lap. He opens to find a fish. He's told it's a Sicilian message: "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

"The Godfather," also starred Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Robert Duvall.