Al Pacino reveals the iconic role he passed on
The legendary American actor Al Pacino is currently on an interview tour to discuss his illustrious career, which boasts major credits like The Godfather, Scarface, Serpico and Heat. In a new interview with David Rubenstein as part of 92NY’s ‘People Who Inspire Us’, the 82-year-old actor discussed the prospect of retirement and reflected on his career.
Having given his opinion on the first two Godfather movies, Pacino discussed an iconic movie he missed out on. During the conversation, the veteran actor was asked whether there were any roles he regretted passing up during his long and illustrious career. “I turned down Star Wars,” he replied.
In the mid-1970s, Pacino was a big deal, having starred in the first two parts of the ground-breaking Godfather trilogy and a scattering of other high-profile roles. When looking for his Han Solo, George Lucas first approached Pacino.
“So I was there, and all of a sudden, they gave me a script that was called Star Wars,” Pacino said of the project. “I said, ‘I got the script, they offered me so much money, but I don’t understand it.'”
Pacino found the sci-fi plot difficult to follow and assumed it wouldn’t amount to a satisfying project. On the other hand, Harrison Ford was eager for the role, having only appeared in smaller roles in big movies and big roles in low-budget movies up to that point.
“I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for,” Pacino added in jest.
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