“The Godfather” could have been a completely different movie. al pacino His iconic portrayal of Michael Corleone almost got him the axe.
The role ultimately earned Al an Oscar nomination, but it’s wild to think that’s what the studio originally wanted. ryan o’neal, robert redfordor Warren Beatty Instead. And even after becoming a director francis ford coppola Although he defended Pacino’s live performance, the journey to prove the naysayers wrong was a very difficult one.
Al spills the tea in his memoir Sonny Boy… Just a week and a half into filming, Francis drops the bombshell that Paramount doesn’t feel him for the role.
Francis even showed him footage of his performance, to which Al admitted that he intentionally underestimated Michael because he wanted to explore Michael’s journey and potential, but admitted that he wasn’t killing his performance. Ta.
Fortunately, Frances still With Al’s help, he significantly increased filming for the iconic restaurant shooting scene to show Paramount executives what he was made of.
And did it pay off! Al put his all into the scene, filming for a grueling 15 hours with Michael blowing it away. Al Lettieri and Sterling HaydenCharacters at close range.
He also said that his co-stars were like a safety net for him and really worked together to lift his spirits because they understood that he was carrying the weight of the world and the risk of being canned. He said he did.
