Trivia / Brian's Song

• Irony as She Is Cast: A mild version. James Caan played football at Michigan State, while Billy Dee Williams did not have a sports background. Since Williams was playing a supreme athlete and Caan was playing the scrappy underdog, Caan had to hold back in their playing scenes to make Williams look better.
• Playing Against Type: Audiences who identify Billy Dee Williams with the popularized image of the suave, debonair, smooth-talking, supercool ladies man will be shocked to see his subdued performance in his portrayal of Sayers who was shy, quiet and reserved.
• Throw It In!: James Caan decided on a whim to literally stick his tongue in his cheek in a few scenes, not knowing this was a real habit of Piccolo's. He found out when Brian's wife asked him how he knew.
• What Could Have Been: Louis Gossett, Jr. was originally cast as Gale Sayers, but had accidentally torn his Achilles tendon whilst exercising and had to decline. Although crestfallen about not being able to take the role, Producer David L. Wolper made a promise to Gossett to cast him in his next big project and did—in 1977's epic miniseries Roots (1977), his Star-Making Role.

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