Posted on 04/21/2023 10:56:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
In a wide-ranging conversation at the 92NY, the actor, who revealed he's currently writing a book, also talked turning down 'Star Wars' and how "about half" of 'The Offer' is true.
Al Pacino sat down for a wide-ranging conversation Wednesday night in New York, touching on everything from his early days on The Godfather and his decision to turn down Star Wars to his views on retirement.
The 82-year-old star sat down with David Rubenstein as part of the 92nd Street Y, New York’s “People Who Inspire Us” series for an hourlong chat, where he looked back on his career and revealed he is currently writing a memoir. “You get to that age, you start to do things like that. I stayed away from it, but I think I’ve got to sort of talk about certain things,” Pacino said. “It’s fine, I have kids and all, it’d be a good idea, and I’m working on it,” noting his co-author was in the audience.
Starting with his big break in The Godfather, Pacino first asked the crowd who had seen recent Paramount+ series The Offer, which follows the behind-the-scenes making of the 1972 film. “I watched it and about half of it was true. Really, that’s a shock,” the actor said. He recalled starting work on The Godfather, and after the first day of shooting, “Diane Keaton and I got drunk and thought, ‘This is it, our careers are over. This is a mess.'”
The film obviously ended up being far from a mess, going on to receive 11 Oscar nominations. Rubenstein asked Pacino if he was upset that Marlon Brando was nominated (and won) best actor while Pacino was recognized as supporting actor, though Pacino had more lines in the film. “How does a story like that get out? I wasn’t upset, are you kidding me?” said Pacino, explaining that he didn’t go to the ceremony that year “not because of that. Let’s clear the air on that one. I’d been hearing about that up the grapevine.”
Rubenstein also asked Pacino if he thought The Godfather Part II was superior to The Godfather, to which the star replied, “No, I don’t. I really think it’s more — what would you call it — artistic or something, I don’t know. I don’t mean to play it down and be overly modest because I star in it with Bob de Niro, but at the same time, it’s a different film.”
“You see, The Godfather is more entertaining. Godfather II is this study, this personal thing for Francis [Ford Coppola],” Pacino continued. “Godfather I, I saw it recently, it’s always got two or three things going on in a scene. You’re always in the story, you’re going. You don’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s storytelling, it’s really storytelling at its best. Godfather II sort of linearizes, and [it’s] kind of different, somber, moves slowly. But it’s a great movie, I have to say.”
He also reflected on his later roles in Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface. When asked if there were any roles he regretted passing on, he noted, “I turned down Star Wars” when he was new on the scene and being offered anything and everything to play.
“So I was there and all of a sudden they gave me a script that was called Star Wars. I said, ‘I got the script, they offered me so much money, but I don’t understand it,'” eventually deciding he couldn’t do it for that reason. He joked, “I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for!”
After nearly 50 movies, Pacino said he currently has four more on the schedule and hopes to do an adaptation of King Lear next year. When Rubenstein asked about retirement, the actor joked, “I’m always retired. I was retired when I was 25. I mean, who cares? Please don’t call it retired, I just don’t want to work anymore.”
“I don’t know, sometimes I just don’t want to do it as much. I like the lead-up to it, you know what I mean? It’s sort of like foreplay or something. I like to get there and then see, ‘Will I make it? Will I not make it? That kind of thing. I don’t know anymore,” he continued, putting his hands on his knees. “I wake up in the morning, I sit at the edge of the bed like this. And I think, ‘Is it really possible that I’m gonna get through this day?’ And then I think, ‘But I did say that yesterday, and I said it the day before and the day before that, and I got through it.’ I said that this morning, ladies and gentlemen, and you’re seeing him today!”
Probably an unpopular opinion but I liked III better than II.......one reason was Andy García......always been a fan.
I vote for Part II. The flashbacks make it the preferred version for me. But both are in my personal Top Five.
That is an unpopular opinion. I never actually saw III.
I like the flashbacks (with Robert De Niro as young Vito Corleone) in Godfather 2, but agree that the first is better in a number of respects. I recall reading not long ago that apparently there was disagreement between Mario Puzo and Francis Coppola over Fredo’s fate in 2 as Puzo argued that in real life, Fredo would have been seen as a weak person on his own and therefore really not posing a threat to Michael. Thus, there was really no reason to have him killed but Coppola insisted otherwise. This is the aspect of Godfather 2 that I am not a fan of.
I can honestly say I never saw a single one of them...............
I like the first too except when my wife says you’re Italian why was our wedding not like that one.
So many great lines and scenes from I. Only bad scene is Sonny beating up Carlo
What about the movie he directed between those two movies?
it went downhill after Pt I- it usually does
Why that scene? Wasn’t it necessary for the Turnpike scene?
Part II tells about what he does with his power how far he's willing to go and what prices he's willing to pay to protect it. It really doesn't have a character arc, he's the same guy at the beginning as he was and the end. So from that perspective it's less satisfying.
I like just about anything Al Pacino had a significant role in. A very eclectic, extraordinarily talented actor, including a fine role in Glengarry Glen Ross.
We’ve had this discussion in my family since the 70s.
We are evenly split on which is the better movie I or II.
I side with II. (and have taken hell for it..).
The Godfather was dramatic.
Godfather II was epic.
The 82-year-old star
When you put it like that it sounds like he's really old.
IMHO, watch the first two. Skip the third one altogether.
Godfather I is IMHO(and most critics)one of the very best movies ever made.
They needed the scene, but the fighting was lame. Carlo recoiled from an obviously missed punch. Minor flaw in what I consider to be the best movie ever made
No doubt, the Hulu or Prime program "The Offer" about the making of it was very interesting as well.
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