Al Pacino on John Cazale: “One of the great actors of our time — that time, any time”
There’s a reason why Al Pacino has become known as one of the greatest actors of all time, with the icon of stage and screen having collaborated with the finest minds of contemporary cinema. Gruff, rough and all-around intense, Pacino is now widely appreciated for his many iconic performances working alongside such filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino.
Finding his peak in the 1970s and early 1980s, Pacino’s first significant role in Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park would spark an extraordinary career for the young actor in which he would feature in two Best-Picture winning films and become a five-time Oscar-nominated actor. Pacino owes much of this to Coppola’s Godfather series that kicked off in 1972, which would see the actor collaborate with the likes of Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando and James Caan.
Having enjoyed a career spanning over half a century, Pacino also has a wealth of other achievements under his belt. In a past interview, he once told The Talks: “You don’t think of those parts as achievements. You think of the roles you play, the paintings you’ve made. You know, resting on your laurels, you get a nice big check, take another profession on… But for some thick reason, I keep wanting to go back and do this stuff”.
Among Pacino’s many trophies was an Obie Award for Best Actor for his role in the Israel Horovitz play The Indian Wants the Bronx back in 1968 when the actor would collaborate with fellow actor John Cazale for the first time, sparking a lifelong friendship.
Throughout the following decade, the two stars of the stage would reach the heights of the movie industry, working together on the first two parts of Coppola’s Godfather series in 1972 and 1974, as well as in the celebrated Oscar-winner Dog Day Afternoon in 1975. Taking the two starring roles in Sidney Lumet’s classic, the film would tragically mark the final time the duo would appear on screen together before Cazale tragically passed away in 1978.
Having known each other for a decade, Cazale made quite the impression on Pacino, with the latter learning a staggering amount from his fellow actor over each of their collaborations.
When speaking to the New York Times during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, Pacino revealed that he didn’t believe Cazale ever got the credit he deserved for his contribution to Coppola’s movies. “John Cazale, in general, was one of the great actors of our time — that time, any time,” Pacino told the publication, showering the cult star with praise before revealing what he had taught him in his short career as a performer.
Continuing his adoration, he adds: “I learned so much from him. I had done a lot of theatre and three films with him. He was inspiring; he just was. And he didn’t credit for any of it. He was in five films, all Oscar-nominated films, and he was great in all of them. He was particularly great in Godfather II, and I don’t think he got that kind of recognition”.
Take a look at a clip of Cazale from Coppola’s Godfather: Part II, below.
