The moment Al Pacino took his ‘Serpico’ character too far
In the 1970s, Al Pacino quickly rose to become a Hollywood star thanks to brilliantly-executed performances in films such as The Panic in Needle Park, The Godfather Part I and II, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. While directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese defined the New Hollywood era, Pacino was one of the period’s most essential actors, alongside his long-time pal Robert De Niro.
Although Pacino’s most iconic role from this period, and perhaps of all time, was Michael Corleone in The Godfather series, we can’t ignore his other performances, which gave Pacino the chance to master his craft. 1973’s Serpico was Pacino’s first collaboration with Sidney Lumet, known for movies such as 12 Angry Men, The Appointment and The Pawnbroker.
Discussing his first encounter with Lumet, Pacino told GQ, “I grew to love him, actually, but the first impression of him was he said a couple of things that seemed a bit off-putting about him. So I felt a little, ‘Who does this guy think he is?’ Then I started seeing some of his films. I thought, ‘He’s a great director’. That’s who he is. And then we went on to do Dog Day Afternoon later.”
Pacino was initially hesitant to agree to the role of Frank Serpico, based on the real NYPD detective responsible for exposing corruption in the police force. He explained: “I’ll tell you, I met Frank Serpico; they introduced me to him. [Before] I met the person that I was supposed to do, I didn’t wanna play him. It was an odd thing. Not because he was negative or positive, but I just felt I couldn’t be him.”
However, he added: “But when I met Frank, I knew there was something I could paint there. There was something that I could sort of serve. He had an earring, long hair, and was strange looking. But he had a look in his eye that I thought, ‘There it is’. I got to know him very well and hung with him.”
When filming began, Pacino channelled some of the method acting tips he’d previously learnt under the direction of Lee Strasberg. The actor studied Serpico by hanging out with him for a month until Lumet banned him from the set. The director revealed to Cinephilia and Beyond, “I said, ‘Frank, I can’t have you there during the shooting or the rehearsals. It would just make everybody, including Al, so self-conscious.’ And I broke his heart.”
Still, in the short time Pacino had with Serpico, he learnt how to channel the real man into his performance. When he had to shoot a particularly aggressive scene, he’d remain in character when filming cut, and the same went for scenes of the opposite nature. However, while driving around New York City, Pacino almost took his method acting too far. Channelling the police detective a little too much, Pacino attempted to arrest a truck driver for exhaust pollution.
Luckily, nothing came of the incident, and Pacino learnt not to push his method acting too far – at least temporarily. In 1992, he made headlines for his unique approach after pretending to be blind like his character while filming Scent of A Woman. He even sent his co-star Chris O’Donnell a letter which read, “Although I didn’t see you, I know you were great.”
Revisit the trailer for Serpico below.
