Scarface is one of American cinema’s biggest classics, with multiple actors and directors vying to be a part of it. Among them, was mafia movie extraordinaire Martin Scorsese, who made a pitch to the studio for the film, which was eventually rejected and never saw the light of day.
However, Scorsese was a fan of what was produced from the beginning, praising it for all its masterful craft and effort. The director even took it upon himself to go out of his way to warn Scarface actor Steven Bauer about the film’s reception in Hollywood. This was confirmed when the industry reacted just as the Goodfellas director predicted.
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Martin Scorses said Hollywood would hate Scarface
Scorsese was keen on telling Steven Bauer how much he enjoyed the film Scarface. However, with all the praises that he heaped on the film, Scorsese was also keen to deliver a warning that would ring true when the industry came face to face with the film. The director, according to Steven Bauer, told him this:
“You guys are great – but be prepared, because they’re going to hate it in Hollywood … because it’s about them.”
Scorsese’s warning about the film not being palatable for Hollywood ringed true, as the prediction manifested itself in the form of negative reviews that were mostly aimed at the gratuitous violence that the film had depicted. This was also supplemented by foul language and the onscreen depiction of drug use, which Scorsese had likened to the industry in his quote, saying that the depiction of these things might be too much of a mirror for them.
There were more than a few approaches that were presented for Scarface
There were multiple actors and directors ready to work on Scarface, including the likes of Robert De Niro and Scorsese. A Pacino was particularly plagued by the idea of who should direct the film. Upon asking De Niro, the latter suggested that he consider Brian De Palma for the role of director. He also told him that he should take on the project as fast as he could, or he would be open to taking it instead. Of course, De Palma would be the choice for the film.
There were multiple pitches for Scarface, which was a semi-remake of the 1930 pre-code film. One of the pitches was from Martin Scorsese, who no doubt would have brought his understanding of the mob and mafia genre to the film, perhaps adding his signature style of realism to the film. And who knows how different the character of Tony Montana could have looked in the hands of Robert De Niro?
However, there was no way this film would have existed without Pacino, who personally started a campaign to fund the project, trying to convince producer Martin Bregman.
