As Michelle Pfeiffer recently celebrated her 65th birthday on 29th April 2023, it’s time to look back at her impressive career and begin with her 1983 Scarface, which became her first big break. Playing the role of Elvira Hancock, alongside Al Pacino, the actress recalled how she almost lost the role.
Despite Scarface being Michelle Pfeiffer’s ticket to Hollywood, the actress recalled how she felt it wasn’t going to work out for her. Sharing the extraordinary story of how she ultimately got the part, Pfeiffer recalled making Al Pacino bleed during her performance.
Michelle Pfeiffer Almost Didn’t Land Her Role in Scarface
The critically acclaimed actress Michelle Pfeiffer has been in the entertainment industry for more than a few decades and has appeared in myriads of films. But that one particular movie that launched her to stardom was Al Pacino’s Scarface. But unfortunately, the actress recalled how she was on the verge of losing her career-changing role.
Stopping by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Pfeiffer shared the story of how she almost lost her opportunity to star alongside Al Pacino. Recalling her audition for the movie during her 20s, Pfeiffer mentioned being terrified of acting alongside the renowned actor. She further mentioned how the prolonged auditions made it even worse for her.
“I was terrified, and I was really young. As it went on, the worse I got because I just got so afraid. By the end of it, [director] Brian De Palma was really sweet. He was really rooting for me, Brian. And he said, you know, I’m sorry, but you’re just bad now.”
Realizing how her lack of confidence and fear was ruining things for her, Michelle Pfeiffer nearly felt she lost the opportunity. But luckily, after a month, she got called back for a screen test, and it was her last chance to prove her talent and bag the role.
Michelle Pfeiffer Made Al Pacino Bleed For Real
Sharing the extraordinary story with Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Pfeiffer recalled how she felt rather confident during her screen test. She revealed that thinking like she had nothing to lose actually helped her loosen up during her final audition with Al Pacino. Thus, she gave it all and performed with dedication during her final audition.
“I threw dishes and everything went flying and I broke things. I was in it, and then there was blood everywhere. And everyone comes running over to me, checking the blood, where am I cut…there are no cuts on me, and they look over, and they see Al is bleeding.”
Discussing how her intensity made Al Pacino bleed for real during the auditions, Michelle Pfeiffer mentioned landing the role. The actress joked about how she had to make her renowned co-star bleed to bag her career-changing role. Previously, on Inside the Actors Studio (via IMDb), Pfeiffer joked that causing Pacino to bleed during the Scarface audition might be the reason why he is not fond of her.
“I look over and I’ve cut Al Pacino. This is the guy who already hates me. So, well, there goes that, I guess! But I actually think it’s when he began to like me. And we’ve been good friends ever since. I got the job.”
Eventually, what mattered was Michelle Pfeiffer landing her breakout role in Scarface and transitioning into an acclaimed Hollywood star.
