The surprising reason Al Pacino was initially turned down for ‘The Godfather’
Ask any Hollywood actor or filmmaker, and it will quickly become clear that most people in Hollywood rank Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 classic The Godfather as one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring the likes of John Cazale, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton and Marlon Brando, the film is known for its incredibly woven narrative and dedication to stylish cinematic excellence.
Telling the story of the mafia-leading Corleone family and the youngest son, Michael, who is primed for succession, The Godfather is a story of the American dream, following a reluctant leader born into generational success. Whilst Brando as Don Vito Corelone is the one who has grabbed headlines for decades thanks to his performance, Pacino as Michael is even more powerful as the emotionally complex criminal.
In fact, Pacino was always a little ticked off that he never received the praise that Brando got, even being snubbed for an Academy Award nomination in the ‘Best Leading Actor’ category, despite having more screen time than the Don. In fact, as the popular story goes, Pacino boycotted the entire awards ceremony, with many believing that the actor resented Brando for the Oscar win.
Still, Pacino should have found himself lucky that he even got the part in the first place, with Francis Ford Coppola recently revealing the surprising reason why the actor was initially turned down.
Posting a portion of Al Pacino’s audition tape for the role of Michael Corleone to his Instagram account, the director stated: “The interesting thing here, was a reason given to me against casting Pacino was not only was he too short, but also too ‘scruffy’.”
Continuing, he explains: “So we got him a haircut and dressed him more non-scruffy and more collegiate, and then the criticism was he so cleaned up, he lost some of his natural appeal. I realised they just didn’t want Al, no matter whether tall or short, scruffy or collegiate…The first ‘too scruffy’ haircut was given to him by my wife, Ellie. For the second haircut, we went to a local barber, and he found out it was for a Godfather actor; he had a heart attack. (The barber really had a heart attack and was taken off to hospital afterwards).”
Far from being a movie star by the time he was cast in Coppola’s film, Pacino was a well-respected thespian as well as a star of several minor movies, including the 1971 drama The Panic in Needle Park. It was his performance in this film, helmed by Jerry Schatzberg, that would inspire Coppola to cast him in The Godfather.
“It’s hard to explain in today’s world — to explain who I was at that time and the bolt of lightning that it was,” Pacino stated about the creation of Coppola’s movie. “I felt like, all of a sudden, some veil was lifted, and all eyes were on me. Of course, they were on others in the film. But The Godfather gave me a new identity that was hard for me to cope with,” he added.
Take a look at Coppola’s Instagram post that outlines Pacino’s audition below.
