Veteran actor Robert De Niro thanked Francis Ford Coppola for not including him in the first “The Godfather” movie at the AFI Life Achievement Award presentation.

‘The Godfather Part II’ was the film that finally brought De Niro his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
“Thank you, Francis, for not casting me in The Godfather,” De Niro remarked at the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre’s gala. I never obtained a better job than that one. According to Deadline, it also meant that I was free for The Godfather Part II.

De Niro’s career was transformed by his breakthrough performance in the sequel as young Vito Corleone.

The ‘Godfather’ franchise co-star Al Pacino, who co-starred with De Niro, also praised Coppola’s commitment to his work.

Pacino cited Coppola as stating, “The things you do when you’re young that you get fired for are the same things that, years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for.”

“Thank you, Francis, for believing in me even more than I believed in myself,” Pacino said, according to the statement from Deadline.

The greatest honor given to a person for their work in cinema is the AFI Life Achievement Award.
Coppola follows in the illustrious footsteps of Denzel Washington, Julie Andrews, and Nicole Kidman.

His movies, including “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” are considered to be among the best ever made.