Al Pacino Was Forced To Spend 3 Days In Jail As a 20-Year-Old After An Acting Job Landed Him In Major Trouble With The Law

Pacino had to be placed inside a prison cell by cops when when he was still young because of a major misunderstanding.

Al Pacino Was Forced To Spend 3 Days In Jail As a 20-Year-Old After An Acting Job Landed Him In Major Trouble With The Law

SUMMARY

  • Al Pacino is considered a living legend across the globe for his contributions to the film industry, most notably as Michael Corleone from cinema's holy grail 'The Godfather'.
  • In 1961, when he was just 20 years old, he was taken into custody by the authorities and put in prison along with two other men for suspicious activity as well as possessing a firearm.
  • After three days in jail, they released by the police as they cleared that the pistol they had was just a prop gun and that they were using it to prepare for a film role.
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Films and entertainment in general can immortalize an individual through creating a legacy that will forever be associated with them. Thus, when people talk about the great Al Pacino, his name is taken with the utmost reverence by the entire cinema industry across the globe due to his undisputable contributions to the art of filmmaking.

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Al Pacino in a still from The Irishman
Al Pacino in a still from The Irishman

But just like most celebrated stars in the industry, he too had to go through tough times in order to be hailed as a legend across the globe.

One time, when he was merely 20 years old, he was taken into custody by the Rhode Island Police Department along with two other men for possessing a pistol and acting suspiciously in public, only to be revealed that they were in truth, preparing for a film.

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Al Pacino Was Once Arrested By The Cops While Preparing For A Film Role

Al Pacino and Penelope Allen in a still from Dog Day Afternoon
Al Pacino and Penelope Allen in a still from Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

The legendary status wasn’t an easy journey to make for Hollywood icon Al Pacino as he has faced numerous challenges and trials to be where he is today. Thus, when people come to know how the star was once taken into custody by the cops when he was 20 years old, they get mixed feelings, which are soon dissipated when they learn the reason for it.

In a recent post on X, user @fasc1nate retold this not-so-well-known story of 20-year-old Pacino before he became one of the most iconic actors in the industry by doing films like The Godfather.

He was arrested by police officers in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on 7th January 1961 because he was caught driving around in a car making rounds of a block several times with two other men. All three of them were wearing black masks and gloves.

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When searched, a loaded 38-caliber pistol was found in their possession, which led the cops to believe they were robbers, which enabled them to charge these individuals with attempted robbery and throw them into prison. They were later identified as Pacino, Vincent J. Calcagni, and Bruce Cohen.

They were asked to pay up for a $2,000 bail settlement, which all of them combined couldn’t pay at the time, which is why they were locked up in jail for three days straight. In hindsight, the officer in charge recounted how he remembered the Heat star being very helpful throughout the process, which eased their investigation.

It was later confirmed by the authorities that these men were just preparing for a role in a film they were offered, and the gun that they possessed was a prop item that they were prepping with. This led to the release of the three individuals.

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How Al Pacino Became An Icon In Hollywood?

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in a still from The Godfather
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in a still from The Godfather

While there was certainly a hint of luck in the making of the star’s legacy, what set Pacino apart from the rest was his consistency throughout his career of over half a century.

In fact, even with dynamic roles in several films over the years, his characteristics and approach to taking on the part may have changed, but he was always able to deliver the finesse and impactful prowess that the public had come to expect from him with his performance in The Godfather.

Since then, be it Scent of a Woman, for which he was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor, or some of his other iconic films in cinema history, people could never forget what they witnessed on screen whenever the star made an appearance.

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Written by Deepak Bisht

Articles Published: 1394

Deepak Bisht is a writer at FandomWire who has vast expertise in films of many genres, a hardcore anime nerd along with two years of writing experience. After completing his Bachelor's in Business Administration, he became part of the company in hopes of providing accurate, informative, and exciting articles to the world.

Apart from his contributions to FandomWire, the rest of his time is spent either reading quality works of literature, listening to vintage music, or playing any video games he can get his hands on.