Veteran actor and Oscar winner Al Pacino has been one of Hollywood’s greatest stars with a career spanning multiple decades. Over the years, the Scent of a Woman actor has regaled audiences with his powerful and memorable performances that have stood the test of time while also serving as acting lessons for many young stars to emulate.
Al Pacino is also a celebrity who has maintained a low profile off-screen and in his personal life. The star though was once involved in a highly publicized and controversial incident involving his Oscar-winning film The Godfather also starring Marlon Brando, in which Pacino took a high moral ground.
Here’s Why Al Pacino Boycotted the 1973 Oscars
The cult classic The Godfather directed by iconic director Francis Ford Coppola became of one the most revered films in Hollywood. Made on a modest 6 million dollar budget, the 1972 film bagged a total of 11 Oscar nominations and won a fair share of the prestigious golden statuettes that year including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Marlon Brando. The film also catapulted Al Pacino to the big leagues with his role as Michael Corleone.
But the experienced star who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the film created a stir by boycotting the Oscar awards that year. Pacino took offense to the fact that despite having a bigger role with more screen time in the film over the protagonist Marlon Brando, he was relegated to being called a supporting actor. Considering it an insult to his reputation, Pacino decided to skip the Academy Awards in protest. The actor would then go on to win his first Oscar only 20 years later for Scent of a Woman.
Al Pacino Has Turned Down A Number Of Significant Roles In His Career
Oscar-winner Al Pacino has starred in many memorable roles throughout his illustrious career. But the veteran has also famously rejected a ton of prominent characters in films that went on to become huge blockbusters. One of the marquee roles that Pacino refused was the character of Hans Solo in Star Wars claiming that he did not completely comprehend the script of the film. The role ultimately went to Harrison Ford.
Apart from missing the opportunity to work with George Lucas, Pacino also famously stepped down from a Steven Spielberg classic Close Encounters of a Third Kind and Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Defending his decisions, Pacino said,
“Sometimes it’s just not the right role for you. You don’t feel you belong in that role.”
Pacino was also considered for Pretty Woman and Beverley Hills Cop. Both films were originally slated to be much darker narratives keeping in mind Pacino’s aesthetic. But with the actor stepping down from both roles, Eddie Murphy’s inclusion turned Beverly Hills Cop into an action comedy while Pretty Woman with Richard Gere in the lead became a timeless romance.
Source: Looper
