The 1971 telemovie “Brian’s Song” came to the forefront again last week with the death of Chicago Bears legendary running back Gale Sayers.
The Boston Globe’s Tara Sullivan reached out to actor James Caan, who played the role of Brian Piccolo in the movie that chronicled the friendship between the Bears’ running backs and the tragic death of Piccolo, who suffered from cancer.
Caan said he still cries when he watches the movie, almost 50 years later.
“He was a blessing to the planet Earth,” Caan told the Globe about Sayers, who died after a years-long battle with dementia. “Everybody cries when they see it. I cry every time I see it.
“I grew up with really strong relationships and my friends were real friends and still are. Friends were the only things we had, and their relationship was pretty genuine, and pretty great.
With special and extra thanks to @uptonbell, who was actually AT the original speech that ultimately inspired the movie. https://t.co/ecV1MLaBhr via @BostonGlobe
— tara sullivan (@Globe_Tara) September 27, 2020
One fascinating note: Billy Dee Williams almost did not have the role of Sayers in the movie. It was originally cast for Louis Gossett Jr, The actor tore his Achilles before filming and Williams was given the role and the rest is history.
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