The ‘Godfather’ director was honored with the 50th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday night, bringing out an impressive array of A-listers.

Although Robert De Niro was passed over for The Godfather, his starring role in the sequel turned out to be the offer he couldn’t refuse. While paying tribute to director Francis Ford Coppola with the AFI Life Achievement Award,

Robert De Niro has “thanked” Francis Ford Coppola for not casting him in The Godfather. The actor, 81, famously starred in the sequel to Coppola’s crime epic in 1974, earning his first Oscar for his supporting role as Vito Corleone. De Niro, however, did miss out on the original 1972 film, which featured Al Pacino and Marlon Brando.