By Mike Hale
New York Times News Service
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — In the spacious den of James Caan’s home here, high above Los Angeles near the upper reaches of Benedict Canyon Drive, there’s not much evidence of his long career in the movies. A poster for “Rollerball” — a film he considers underappreciated — hangs above a couch. Nearby is an oil painting of a boxing match in bright primary colors, signed “Sylvester Stallone.”
Caan does own an exceedingly cool poster for “The Godfather,” the film that made him famous him at 32. Designed for the Italian release, it reads “Il Padrino” in the familiar blocky lettering. To see it you need to walk out of the den, make a left and go into the guest bathroom, where it hangs above the sink.
This whimsical touch in interior decoration reinforces the impression that while the 70-year-old Caan has a healthy movie-star ego, and a history of bad-boy behavior to go with it, he maintains a sense of humor regarding his place in the industry. How else to explain what was happening in the den on a weekday afternoon: the irascible star of more than 80 films, an Oscar nominee for “The Godfather” and an Emmy nominee for “Brian’s Song,” sitting down to do a live, hourlong Web chat in which anonymous questioners with names like buckhollywood could solicit anecdotes or ask him to appear in their student films.