Why James Caan Is ‘Frustrated’ With His Career Right Now

James Caan has no interest in retiring, but he’s “frustrated” with the choices he has now. The living legend is still making appearances in movies, 60 years after he first appeared on television. In a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the 81-year-old looked back on his career and explained why he refuses to slow down.

“I want to do a good piece of work,” Caan told Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz Sunday. “I’m frustrated. I’d love to do a real character thing.” When asked about the idea of retiring, Caan sounded like the idea of slowing down never even crossed his mind.

“I can’t take it easy,” Caan said. “I enjoy working. I love to work with good people. I have more fun when I’m working because I get to know new people and mostly good people, you know? Really good – always in some, you know, some things there’s a couple of people you meet, and there’s a lot – I have a lot of laughs and I get respect, too, sometimes.”

Caan’s career has been filled with ups and downs. After countless guest roles on television in the early 1960s, he finally broke through in movies with the 1966 Western El Dorado, opposite John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. In 1971, he starred in the legendary TV movie Brian’s Song with Billy Dee Williams. He earned his only Oscar nomination for playing Sonny Corleone in 1972’s The Godfather, which led him to become one of Hollywood’s leading stars of the 1970s.

During the 1980s, his career slowed down considerably. His sister died from leukemia and Caan battled a cocaine addiction. “I had a bad bout with cocaine for a little while,” Caan admitted. “I lost my sister… She was like… I don’t know. When I lost her, I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t know what to do.” Caan stayed away from the big screen for years before experiencing a comeback in the early 1990s. Rob Reiner’s Misery, based on the Stephen King novel, brought his career back. “I had some wonderful people, like Rob Reiner and those guys,” Caan said. “God bless them. That was the big-time winner for me.”

Since Misery, Caan has been working steadily, racking up roles in popular movies and introducing himself to new audiences, especially Elf. Caan told Mankiewicz he turned Will Ferrell down at first, but Ferrell insisted Caan had to play Buddy the Elf’s father. Caan has also taken TV roles, including an appearance in a 2012 episode of Hawaii Five-0, starring Caan’s son Scott Caan.

Caan does have several projects in the works. He recently starred in Queen Bees, alongside Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margaret, and Christopher Lloyd. He is also set to star in Redemption and Acre Beyond the Rye.