Al Pacino names the greatest directors he ever worked with
There is no better combination in the film world than when legends team up with legends. Or actually, maybe the only thing that tops that is when one legend discovers another, like when a great director finds a new, promising actor and gives them the platform they deserve to be elevated to the same sphere of renown. That’s what happened to Al Pacino when Frances Ford Coppola cast him in The Godfather, serving as just one of the incredible directors the actor has had the opportunity to work with.
By now, Al Pacino is one of the most respected names in the film world. He’s an actor countless others cite as a vital influence, with his roles in projects like The Godfather, Serpico, The Panic in Needle Park and more proving deeply inspiring for generations of actors since.
But his greatness came through a series of incredibly powerful co-signs. From the very start of his career, Pacino was backed by the big leagues, who spotted his talent and rallied behind him. Ever since, he’s been lucky enough to work with the best of the best, not just being part of their cast but becoming their peer, too.
In conversation with Film Talks, he combed back through his filmography, discussing the privilege of working with so many talented directors across his years. “I’ve been very lucky to have worked with those people, so it’s very hard to say anyone that’s my favourite,” he said. But a few jumped out as holding a special place in his heart.
First, he said, “I started with Sidney Lumet.” It’s not exactly true as by the time Lumet cast Pacino in Serpico in 1973, he already had a good few films under his belt, including the first The Godfather movie with Coppola. But to him, Serpico and then Dog Day Afternoon in 1975, felt like the beginning of something, expanding his approach to acting thanks to Lumet’s experience and lessons.
The collaboration with Lumet seemed to work perfectly with Pacino’s method acting process. “When we did the opening scene of Dog Day Afternoon, the bank robbery, he just said, ‘You go there, you go there, and you go there.’ He gave you things to do,” he said, continuing, “When you started doing it—just by doing—you felt you were robbing a bank. You’re in it because he directs that kind of vision.” He also liked that Lumet got his cast together ahead of time to rehearse, letting them build up their characters and chemistry, reminding him of his beginnings with stage acting.
Another director his picked out as one of the greatest he worked with is an obvious one. “Francis Ford Coppola made me famous,” he said, matter of factly. It’s true. It was Coppola’s call to cast him as Michael Corleone early on in Pacino’s film career that made his name. But this is a prime example of an actor rallying behind a new talent.
As Pacino put it, “He was the only one who wanted me in The Godfather, nobody else wanted me. They simply wanted to fire me.” The studio wanted Coppola to cast a popular actor in the role, campaigning for either Warren Beatty or Robert Redford to play the part instead. But from the beginning, Pacino was Coppola’s favourite. He knew he wanted an unknown actor, and specifically, he knew he wanted Pacino, so he battled with his studio hard to allow him to be cast.
He also picked out Harold Becker as a special one and another great director he worked with. Pacino was cast in his 1996 drama City Hall, reflecting on the movie with fondness as he said, “I love Harold, his direction, and I loved working with him.”
As a final shout-out to another great, Pacino also added “Martin Scorsese!”, making sure not to forget another titan of the film world he had the luxury of working with and being a close friend of.
