Remembering James Caan: Wickedly funny with a self-deprecating candor
nypost.comdied Thursday at the age of 82 after battling a series of health issues … which never got in the way of his telling a funny story or two or three.I interviewed Caan several times, both for The Post and for a book project, and I can tell you that he never, ever took himself too seriously, despite (or in spite of?) his place in movie history as iconic, hot-headed tough guy Sonny Corleone, shot up at the tollbooth in “The Godfather.” He insisted that I call him “Jimmy” — none of that “Mr.
Caan” nonsense, though I had a tough time calling him anything but. Yes, in “real life” Jimmy cursed a blue streak, didn’t suffer fools gladly and offered his blunt opinions about a variety of subjects.
But that only made him more likable in my mind. He was true to his convictions, but they were accentuated with a wry sense of humor.
He was an instant hero in the strange world of professional celebrity, which has a tendency (and I’m being kind here) to turn high-profile performers into self-involved blowhards.
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