Over her remarkable 55-year career, Diane Keaton has brought countless unforgettable characters to life, but none as defining as Katherine “Kay” Corleone in The Godfather. Ironically, Keaton was cast in the iconic role before she had even read the script.
In 2022, PEOPLE Magazine spoke to Keaton about the film’s legacy, and she revealed that she had never even read the script for the 1972 film before accepting the role. She explained that during that busy period of her career, she was auditioning for countless roles and simply “needed to get work.”
“I think the kindest thing that someone’s ever done for me … is that I got cast to be in The Godfather and I didn’t even read it. I didn’t know a single thing,” Keaton admitted. “I was just going around auditioning. I think that was amazing for me. And then I had to kind of read the [Mario Puzo] book.”
She added, “So I was there and so he had me come back and then he cast me.” Ironically, Keaton was cast before the iconic actor, who became the face of the trio of films, including The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The Godfather Part III.
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Keaton concluded, “Al Pacino (Michael Corleone) came in and we did it together, and for some reason that helped them cast him. Can you imagine if [they] hadn’t cast him? So a lot of these experiences that you have come and you’re just surprised.”
In 2023, Keaton sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and revealed she never knew the real reason why [director] Francis Ford Coppola hired her for the role. She would receive her answer as Coppola participated in an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram, as reported by Vanity Fair.
“Why on Earth,” Keaton wrote, “did you choose me for The Godfather?!” The director responded, “I chose you, because although you were to play the more straight/vanilla wife, there was something more about you, deeper, funnier, and very interesting. (I was right).”
Diane Keaton would play Kay Adams Corleone in all three Godfather films. She died on October 11, 2025, and is survived by her adopted children, daughter Dexter Keaton White and son Duke Keaton.
