Remembering James Caan: wickedly funny and self-deprecating

Of all the thousands of celebrities I’ve interviewed over the past thirty-plus years, only a handful are etched in my memory. They’re the interviews that always put a smile on my face when I think about them.

And that’s why I will miss James Caan, who’s a charter member of that list, and who died Thursday at the age of 82 after battling a series of health issues … which never got in the way of his telling a funny story or two or three.

I interviewed Caan several times, both for The Post and for a book project, and I can tell you that he never, ever took himself too seriously, despite (or in spite of?) his place in movie history as iconic, hot-headed tough guy Sonny Corleone, shot up at the tollbooth in “The Godfather.” He insisted that I call him “Jimmy” — none of that “Mr. Caan” nonsense, though I had a tough time calling him anything but. Yes, in “real life” Jimmy cursed a blue streak, didn’t suffer fools gladly and offered his blunt opinions about a variety of subjects. But that only made him more likable in my mind. He was true to his convictions, but they were accentuated with a wry sense of humor. He was an instant hero in the strange world of professional celebrity, which has a tendency (and I’m being kind here) to turn high-profile performers into self-involved blowhards. Not Jimmy.

I learned this about him the first time I interviewed him for The Post back in 2016 for a Hallmark movie, “JL Ranch.” He took great delight in dropping a series of f-bombs (most of which made their way into print) and in insisting he was done with ever starring in another TV series — not a chance nor a “never say never” comment. He meant it, and he wasn’t afraid who knew it or how it might damage his marketability in an industry built on the “what have you done for me lately” philosophy.

He also spent a chunk of our conversation talking about the painful back surgeries he’d just undergone (a recurrent theme in our subsequent chats) and I appreciated his honesty and his “This is who I am now” frankness in opening up to someone he’d never met before.

His candor — he was a great interview — was even more evident when, this past March, we spoke by phone about the 50th anniversary of “The Godfather,” and he took great relish in recounting funny stories about life on the set, including one memorable practical joke he pulled on huge Lenny Montana, who played mob strongman Luca Brasi, the guy who ended up sleeping with the fishes (it involved Lenny’s tongue and lots of tape).

And did you know that two of Jimmy’s good friends were a couple of Dons (no pun intended) — “Get Smart” star Don Adams and insult king Don Rickles? When I was researching my upcoming biography of Rickles (“The Merchant of Venom”), I reached out to Jimmy and he was nice enough (and only too happy) to share his memories of both men — and he had me in stitches talking about a prank he pulled on Don Adams on the golf course … with help from Mr. Rickles, of course.

They just don’t make ’em like James Caan anymore. He will be missed.