Al Pacino has reached a phase of his life where he's looking back, which is part and parcel to writing a memoir.
After having publicly confessed that he has, in fact, been writing about his life and career in recent times, the legendary actor sat down for an interview with David Rubenstein at the 92NY New York, where he once again looked back.
As part of its People Who Inspire Us series, The Godfather and Scarface star opened up about some behind-the-scene facts that are perfect examples of the power of cause and effect, even when it comes down to one decision in life.
When asked if there were any roles he regretted passing on during his storied career, he responded, 'I turned down Star Wars (1977).'
His decision came at a time when Pacino was being offered just about every leading man role after starring in a succession of classics: The Godfather (1972), Serpico (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
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Looking back: Al Pacino. who turns 83 on April 25, took a look back at his long and storied career as an A-list actor in an interview with David Rubenstein at the 92NY New York
'So I was there and all of a sudden they gave me a script that was called Star Wars,' he said of the role of playing Han Solo.. 'I said, "I got the script, they offered me so much money, but I don't understand it."'
Ultimately, it was his lack of understanding of the story that played into why he passed on the role, which ended up going to Harrison Ford, who was more than happy to play Han Solo considering his career up until that point was made up mostly of bit parts and supporting roles.
'I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for,' Pacino joked during the conversation, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
As fans all over the world know, Star Wars went on to become a cultural phenomenon, with the original film grossing $775.8 million at the worldwide box office against just an $11 million budget.
And it didn't end there. Ford would get to reprise Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of The Jedi (1983) and again in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
While Pacino would miss out a huge moneymaking film franchise like Star Wars, he did get to experience one with The Godfather, which has the distinction of having a sequel that many believe is as good or even better than the original.
But despite being director Francis For Coppola's first choice to play Michael Corleone, there was a time, while shooting The Godfather, where Pacino almost got fired.
Recalling a conversation he and Coppola had at the time, and the dailies that were coming from the film set, some studio execs were underwhelmed with his performance and wanted to replace him before it was too late.
'He said, "You know, I had a lot of faith in you. And you're failing me,""' the actor shared. 'I'm standing there thinking "What the f**k, what did I do?’”
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Career regret: During the conversation that was part of the People Who Inspire Us series, Pacino revealed he turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars that went to Harrison Ford, which he would go on to regret,
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Role in jeopardy: Pacino's breakthrough role as Michael Corleone came in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), but early in the shoot some studio executives were eager to replace him. the cast included James Cann, Marlon Brado, John Cazale (all pixtures), as well as Robert Duvall, Talia Shire and Diane Keaton
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No credence: Pacino shot down the long-held rumor that he was upset not to be nominated for an Oscar for The Godfather in the Best Actor category, instead of Best Supporting Actor: 'How does a story like that get out?' Pacino said, with a tone of disbelief. 'I wasn’t upset — are you kidding me?'
His early detractors just weren't moved by his development and early incarnation of Michael Corleone that were showcased in the dailies, which are raw and unedited footage shot during the making of a motion picture.
'I wanted to come out of nowhere, and by the end of the film create some kind of enigma,' he explained of his thought process. 'His transition is what interested me, and I thought I was unable to save it. After the first day of shooting, Diane Keaton and I got drunk. We thought "This is it, our careers are over. This is a mess."
He credits Coppola with helping save him from being fired from the film by changing the sequence of the shooting schedule in order to showcase Pacino in one of the film's iconic and dramatic scenes.
'The Solozzo scene, where Michael shoots the cop. Coppola pushed that up, because he thought Paramount was about to fire me,' he said, adding, 'I do the scene, they liked it, and they kept me in because I shot someone. '
Pacino not only saved his role in The Godfather, he would go on to get an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, which was one of 11 the film received.
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Clever move: The longtime Hollywood leading man to host David Rubenstein that Francis Ford moved up Michael Corleone's shooting of a cop scene in The Godfather to help quell all the talk of replacing Pacino with another actor in the original
While looking back at his breakout role for the silver screen, Pacino was also asked to clear up a long-standing rumors about him being upset that he got a Best Supporting Actor nom, despite having more lines then Brando, who won Best Actor for his incredible portrayal as the head of the family, Vito Corleone.
'How does a story like that get out?' Pacino said, with a tone of disbelief. 'I wasn’t upset — are you kidding me?'
Along with Brando's Oscar win, the crime drama classic also scored wins for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Godfather, with its screenplay by Mario Puzo and Coppola, was also a hit at the box office, grossing $250–291 million against a budget of $6 -7.2 million, all while going on to be considered one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
Two years later, many of the stars who hadn't been 'whacked' in the original reprised their roles to star in The Godfather II (1974), along with Robert De Niro, who played a young Vito Corleone as he immigrated from Sicily, Italy to New York City, and his rise to prominence in the world of organized crime.
This film now has the distinction of being the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, which was just one of its six Oscar wins that includes De Niro for Best Actor and Coppola for Best Director.
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Long-standing debate: 'The Godfather is more entertaining,' Pacino declared when asked which of the first two films in the franchise is superior
The Scarface leading man also weighed in on another long-standing debate that often comes up during movie trivia games and conversations. Which is the superior film: The Godfather or The Godfather II?
'The Godfather is more entertaining. Godfather II is this study, this personal thing for Francis [Ford Coppola],' the New York City native explained. '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.,' he explained, before going on to heap praise on both films.
He continued, '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.'
Pacino thought the sequel was 'artistic' while also describing it as a 'different' film compared to the original movie.
Pacino went on to conform he is currently writing a memoir with a co-author.
'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.'
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