Over 30 years ago, Michael Corleone’s nephew Vincent Mancini boldly entered the family business as a “bulldog” and modern day gangster. The Godfather III was probably the least successful sequel to Francis Ford Coppola’s original screenplay that featured Marlon Brando. But Mancini’s role as a confident, savvy, temperamental womanizer produced plenty of action-packed moments. Yet, he portrayed a man who was loving and loyal to a family who, with the exception of Michael, shunned him as Sonny’s bastard child.
The Mancini character was a career breakthrough for Andy Garcia, a young Havana-born actor who came to Hollywood via Miami after attending Florida International University. He loaded big rig trailers to pay the rent until landing his first significant gig in the Untouchables, a crime drama that featured Kevin Costner and Robert De Niro. But co-staring with Al Pacino in the final Godfather production earned Garcia an Oscar nomination and instant name recognition.
“Being associated with Francis (Ford Coppola) and this movie was a tremendous privilege,” Garcia reflects. “Looking back, it’s one of the most important things that I’ve done in my career.”
Throughout the 1990’s, Garcia continued to appear in “cops and robbers” parts in a half dozen films, including Internal Affairs with Richard Gere and opposite Meg Ryan in When a Man Loves a Woman. He also performed with Michael Keaton in Desperate Measures, a box office smash. Yet, by no means was Garcia type-casted in future roles because he worked with some of the industry’s biggest stars early on, and gained their respect.
In the first decade of the new century and beyond, Garcia started dabbling in producer/actor projects like For Love Or Country – The Arturo Sandoval Story. The HBO movie shines a light on the history of jazz music in Cuba and Miami, the life of trumpeter and composer Sandoval and his stage relationship with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie. A musician himself, Andy was instantly attracted to the project and dived into the production, bringing Gloria Estefan intro the mix. Following that film, Garcia wrote the screenplay and performed in The Lost City, recruiting Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. That was followed by the musical Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again, which featured a duet with Garcia and Cher. The romantic comedy Book Club with Diane Keaton, who appeared in all three Godfather movies, was also successful. But perhaps Andy’s biggest hit in recent years was The Mule, a 2018 film with Clint Eastwood which grossed a whopping $166 million.
For three decades, Garcia has been one of the hardest working actors in the business with 62 films under his belt. At age 65, he is worth over $20 million and no longer needs to work. Andy could simply do promos for his favorite Cuban deli Portos and retire to enjoy family life. Instead, he is excited about his new television series Rebel, and co-starring with Katie Segal who we all remember from Married With Children.
“Rebel” is an hour long drama spiced up with sarcastic remarks from both parties and an occasional comical twist. The story is loosely based on the life of activist Erin Brockovich, even though most folks never heard of her. That doesn’t matter because it’s the concept and theme that is intriguing. Segal’s character is Annie Bello, a fearless, funny and relentless legal advocate without a law degree. Her boss is Julian Cruz, a powerful wealthy attorney played by Garcia. He is smart, charming but practical man who sometimes gets annoyed by Annie’s half-baked crusades. However, Cruz still mourns the death of his faithful wife who was one of Annie’s best friends, which adds to their personal relationship and occasionally leaves him vulnerable.
“I knew I’d love working with Katie because I have always been a fan,” notes Andy. “She’s a professional and we understand each others responsibilities on the set. We both stepped into our roles in an easy manner.”
While Garcia has worked in television before, he has never been casted as a leading male role in a regular series. And the character he portrays was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“The role calls for a Hispanic man, and I could specifically make him a Cuban-American,” explains Andy, a passionate critic of the longtime Castro regime. “That really infused my interest, along with Katie’s presence and the fact that (the production) was close to home.”
Throughout his amazing career, Andy Garcia has been snubbed by the Academy, nominated only once for an Oscar in The Godfather III. Hopefully, his work in Rebel will be recognized for a possible Emmy. Judge for yourself when the show airs every Thursday at 10pm on ABC.
