Al Pacino Reveals the Iconic Role He Passed on That Gave Another Actor a Career & a Moment He Was Worried He'd Get Fired From 'The Godfather'

On fears he’d be kicked out of The Godfather

Al recalled a conversation he had with famed director Francis Ford Coppola that left him concerned about his role in The Godfather.

“He said, ‘You know, I had a lot of faith in you. And you’re failing me,’” Al said. “I’m standing there thinking ‘What the f-ck, what did I do?’”

He learned that there were concerns about the way he was playing his character and developing the role: “I wanted to come out of nowhere, and by the end of the film create some kind of enigma,” he explained. “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.’”

He explained how Francis helped save his role. “The Solozzo scene, where Michael shoots the cop. Coppola pushed that up, because he thought Paramount was about to fire me,” he said. “I do the scene, they liked it, and they kept me in because I shot someone.”

He celebrated a special anniversary for the film last year.

He also opened up about passing on a role in a blockbuster franchise…