- Pacino reveals in his upcoming memoir how he one scene saved him
- The Oscar winning legend and Diane Keaton believed they were starring in ‘the worst picture ever made’
- Francis Ford Coppola was also close to being fired as director after fighting for Pacino to be cast as Michael Corleone
Fifty-two years removed from its premiere and subsequent half a century of staggering influence as a timeless reference point in cinema history, it is impossible to imagine The Godfather with anyone else in the role of Michael Corleone other than Al Pacino.
But it came perilously close to happening.
In 1972, Pacino was a relative unknown in Hollywood. Paramount Pictures were keen to secure Robert Redford for the role as the prodigal son-turned-boss of the Corleone family. Jack Nicholson and a Robert De Niro who was equally as unknown as Pacino also auditioned for the part, but Francis Ford Coppola, entranced by Pacino’s performance as a heroin addict in The Panic In Needle Park, fought for the Sicilian boy from East Harlem and he got his man.
Only, as filming began on the award sweeping crime epic, there was not much belief that Pacino was the right man for the role of Michael. In fact, according to a passage from the Oscar winning icon’s upcoming memoir Sonny Boy, Pacino was not far awar from being fired from the project altogether.
“[co-star Diane Keaton] and I spent those first days laughing with each other, having to perform that opening wedding exposition scene from the screen test that we hated so much.
“On the basis of just that one scene, we were certain we were in the worst picture ever made, and when we’d finish shooting for the day, we would go back to Manhattan and get drunk. Our careers were over, we thought.
“The rumor had got out around the set that I was going to be let go from the picture. You could feel that loss of momentum when we shot. There was a discomfort among people, even the crew, when I was working. I was very conscious of that.
“The word was that I was going to be fired, and, likely, so was the director. Not that Francis wasn’t cutting it—I wasn’t. But he was the one responsible for me being in the film.”
Of course, we know that Pacino went on to deliver one of the most seminal performances in cinema history, but what changed to sway momentum back in his favour and get Paramount onside?
An unexpected shift in the shooting schedule moved up the famous scene in which Michael exacts his revenge on Virgil ‘The Turk’ Sollozzo and corrupt police captain Mark McCluskey in a Bronx restaurant for the attempt they had previously made on Don Corleone’s life. Pacino writes that the scene would “let me show what I was capable of.”
“Francis showed the restaurant scene to the studio, and when they looked at it, something was there. Because of that scene I just performed, they kept me in the film. So I didn’t get fired from The Godfather.”
The Godfather went onto be nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Brando. Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor but boycotted that year’s awards ceremony, after reportedly feeling insulted that he was nominated for a supporting category when he had more screen time than Brando in the film, who won Best Actor.
