Al Pacino is one of the most famed actors of his generation and his iconic performances in the films like The Godfather and Scarface have left a lasting impression in the minds of the viewers. He has worked in dozens of films that have been a smash-hit blockbuster at the box office, but his most outstanding performance was in the 1993 film, Scent of a Woman. His performance was so realistic that he won an Oscar for Best Actor.
There’s no denying that Al Pacino was one of the influential actors of his time and even in today’s generation as well. One other name that would always be associated with the actor would be Robert De Niro who was popular for embodying his roles. The two actors were the titans of the industry during their time. However, during an interview De Niro shared how he was interested in Scarface and he’d have played the role if Pacino rejected it.
Robert De Niro’s Strict Advice Convinced Al Pacino To Star in Scarface
“Say hello to my little friend!” is undoubtedly one of the iconic and popular dialogues in the film industry. Al Pacino was outstanding in the role of Tony Montana in the 1983 drama, Scarface. His ability to portray the role of his character’s larger-than-life personality was excellent, making the audience sit on the edge of their seats. However, the actor was skeptical of doing the film until Robert De Niro threatened him to take the role in the film.
During an exclusive interview with GQ, the two actors were brought together for a conversation. Robert De Niro shared that he and Pacino were on the street one night and how the Heat actor was unsure who would be the film’s director and if he should do the film or not. However, De Niro suggested a name, followed by a stern warning that convinced Al Pacino to star in the 1983 film.
“I remember, we talked about, we were on the street one night outside of Cafe Centro or something. I thought this is how I remember it. I could be wrong. We were talking about Scarface, and you were considering who to do it, what director. And I was saying, ‘You should really do it with Brian,’ of the choices you had. I don’t, I thought, and I said, ‘If you don’t do it, I’m going to do it,’ because I wanted to do it.
The stern warning made Al Pacino take a closer look into the role, making him interested in the role. Pacino then talked about how the iconic film was being eyed by Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
Al Pacino Shares How Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro Wanted To Work in Scarface
In the same interview with GQ, Pacino shares how Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro were interested in making the 1983 film. This made him anxious and he called the producer of the film to play the iconic role in the film, but he said “No.”
“They were going to do Scarface, Marty, and Bob. They hadn’t, they didn’t do it yet. They were playing with the idea. And then I know when I saw ‘Scarface’ in California. I called Marty Bregman, who was the producer. And I said, ‘I think this Paul Muni in this part,’ so I said ‘I think it was great.’ And I said, ‘I would just like to do him if I could. And then he said, ‘No,’
The Serpico actor continued that he convinced the producer that the film had potential and together they could do it. He also mentioned how he was in the dark that Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese were heavily interested in the film. However, his Goodfellas co-star assured him that it was “all loose.”
“He didn’t know Scarface, and I said, ‘See the film, I think we can do it.’ I didn’t know that Marty and Bob were interested in it.”
Even though Al Pacino bagged the role of Tony Montana in the film. It would be quite intriguing to see what would have happened in the 1983 film if Scorsese and De Niro had worked in the film.
Scarface can be streamed on Netflix.
