Well, that’s one way to secure your place in a movie.
While Michelle Pfeiffer is a rather renowned icon today, there used to be a time when she was deemed one of the most bankable stars of Hollywood, no thanks to her debacle of a debut, of course. As famous as she might be, her attempt at getting her career in the film industry off the ground with Grease 2 was a measly try at best, given the way the sequel to the otherwise celebrated musical flopped utterly. No wonder the 65-year-old had to fight tooth and nail to land what would later become her breakout role in a film starring Al Pacino.
Why Al Pacino Didn’t Want Michelle Pfeiffer for Scarface
While Scarface wasn’t a hit by any means back when it was released (critics weren’t the biggest fans of the excessive violence and incredibly graphic drug abuse), the Brian De Palma-helmed movie has undoubtedly grown on people over the years. But Michelle Pfeiffer, who got her big breakthrough owing to the ’80s cult classic, almost didn’t land the leading woman’s position in the movie.
Al Pacino, who stars as the Cuban refugee Tony Montana in the crime drama, had been hesitant about working with the Batman Returns star. In fact, he hadn’t been sold at all on the prospect of Pfeiffer getting the part of Elvira Hancock, his on-screen love interest, to begin with.
With the failure of Grease 2 soldering her reputation in a rather unpleasant light, a number of other actresses auditioning for the Universal Pictures production, and Pacino’s steadfast approach toward not wanting Pfeiffer to star in the movie, it goes without being said that the latter had a rough start.
“He was probably more intense back then…or, I think it was maybe the nature of the project, and he didn’t particularly want me for the part […] It was a very long and drawn-out audition process and […] I don’t know it seemed like forever but I think it was about 2 or 3 months. And I was terrified and I was really young, and I knew he didn’t want me, and as it went on, the worse I got because I just got so afraid.”
Although the director himself had been “rooting” for her to bag the part, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Pfeiffer’s audition was simply put, not up to the mark. But well, miracles do happen, even if they’re slathered in blood.
The Bloody Screen Test That Locked Her Fate
A month after she was turned down, the award-winning actress was then called for a screen test, and the rekindled opportunity almost upset Pfeiffer, who, after her poor audition had been “relieved” about how at least it was done and dusted with. But since she’d already blown her chance once, the Ant-Man star was certain she was going to botch the screen test as well, the conviction of which wrenched her out of any fear or nerves whatsoever.
As it turns out, however, the boldness that consumed a now valiant Pfeiffer made her a little too uninhibited, so much so, that she ended up making a Hollywood legend like Pacino bleed during the screen test.
“It kind of freed me up, you know, and sort of…I wasn’t afraid. And I show up and we do this scene, the restaurant scene at the end where I kind of freak out at the end…I threw dishes and everything went flying and I broke things…I was in it! And there was blood everywhere.”
“And everyone comes running over to me, checking me for blood, where am I cut, they’re not finding anything, there are no cuts on me…and I go over, and Al is bleeding […] I cut Al Pacino! And that’s how I got the part.”
It’s insane how she seized the opportunity by ravaging it at first. But you know what they say, everything happens for a reason.
Scarface can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video or rented/purchased on Apple TV+.
