The unlikely role Al Pacino has always wanted to play: “I do, by the way”
Al Pacino has played some interesting characters in his time, like the human embodiment of Satan in The Devil’s Advocate or the hot-headed Vincent in Heat. That’s just scratching the surface of the actor’s impressive film career, which began in the 1960s with a part in Me, Natalie. He’s come an awful long way since then, but there’s still a dream role he’s yet to take on.
You wouldn’t think that someone like Pacino, who is known as one of Hollywood’s finest stars – having defined a new era for the American film industry in the 1970s with roles in The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, and Serpico – would get to the grand age of 84 and still be discussing a dream role of his. It seems that even if you’ve won an Oscar and are widely considered cinematic royalty, you can’t get everything you want in life.
Of course, it’s not too late for Pacino to fulfill his dream, although he might be a tad too old for it. In an interview with The New York Times, Pacino revealed to his best friend Robert De Niro, “I want to play George Washington. I do, by the way.” The problem is, Washington lived to the age of 67. Anything is possible in Hollywood, though, and it doesn’t seem far-fetched to see Pacino donning a curly grey wig to play the 1st U.S President at some point in the future.
It’s a surprise that the actor hasn’t found a way to make the role happen already, considering that he has directed a few of his own movies, including 2000’s Chinese Coffee and 2013’s Salomé. He has even directed several documentaries, like Looking for Richard and Wild Salomé.
If Pacino were to take on the role, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d be playing a real person, either. The actor has proved his prowess with various performances as historical figures, like Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. The movie, which was released in 2019 to mainly positive reviews, saw him embody the labour union leader who strangely vanished in 1975 with terrific skill.
Pacino has also played the convicted murderer and record producer Phil Spector in David Mamet’s 2013 television film of the same name and Joseph McCarthy’s close associate Roy Cohn (who later became Doanld Trump’s mentor) in Angels in America. Evidently, Pacino has never been one to shy away from tackling complicated real-life figures, finding it a rewarding challenge to bring someone’s story to life on the big screen, no matter how controversial it may be.
Discussing the experience of playing real people in the same interview, Pacino said, “You have to find the fictionalization of it in some way. You have to find the drama and the character. Because otherwise, do a documentary on someone.”
Maybe one day we’ll get to see Pacino playing the famous president, who presided over the United States between 1789 and 1797. He wouldn’t be the first to tackle the role, however, with actors like Jeff Daniels, Jon Voight and George Houston having already played Washington in previous years.
