The greatest movie stars in cinema history, according to Al Pacino: “It’s innate”
Al Pacino is one of the most infamous actors in the business, creating a shining legacy that has cemented his position as one of the all-time greats. Pacino has starred in staggeringly influential films such as The Godfather, Scarface, Scarecrow, Dog Day Afternoon and Heat, coming to be known for his high-stakes dramas and action thrillers, becoming a definitive leading man within this genre.
The actor has continued to baffle people with his surprising choices and laid-back approach to the business, selecting projects based on both enjoyment, ease and intrigue, honing an eclectic and busy collection of work. After working with Hollywood’s best and brightest over the years, Pacino has an eye for talent, and has listed the actors that he would consider to be true movie stars.
‘The Golden Era’ in Hollywood is largely praised for being the most wonderful period of time in business. Pictures were far easier to make, with several instant classics being released, such as Bringing Up Baby, Notorious and Double Indemnity, sweeping the global and knocking audiences off their feet. However, one of the leading men from this era remains as one of the most globally recognised and beloved film stars of all time, with a light-hearted sense of humour and slight air of grumpiness that made for charming characters.
Cary Grant has starred in monumentally influential films like Charade, North by Northwest, His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby, capturing the hearts of worldwide audiences as a man who often finds himself caught up in whirlwind love affairs and complex misunderstandings. The effect of his work has not been lost on Pacino, who included him in his prestigious list.
When describing the qualities that define a true movie star, Pacino said, “It’s innate or something. I think it comes with the territory. Let’s put it this way, I just don’t know how Cary Grant did it. When I look at him, I think wow, he had a few attributes, like looks and stuff like that, but at the same time, he also had this delivery, this charisma, this person he became, this persona”.
However, while Grant was a movie star back in the day, the idea of stardom has evolved over the years, with Pacino saying, “Movie stars are different today. They were different in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and today. It’s morphed into other things. So you’d say someone like a George Clooney is closer to the ones that I’m familiar with. DiCaprio is another kind of movie star. It’s just a little different. It’s got shadings of that but it’s also more… It’s just different. It’s more character acting”.
DiCaprio and Clooney both have that ineffable pull and compelling nature that draws you towards them when on the screen. The idea of a film star has changed over the years, but ultimately, it is an indefinable thing you cannot learn or be taught – it has to live inside you, ready to be released when cast onto the silver screen.
