Al Pacino Says He Nearly Got Fired From ‘The Godfather’ During Filming

“The Godfather” may have turned out to be a very totally different flick, as a result of it seems Al Pacino was very practically given the axe from his iconic portrayal of Michael Corleone!

The position ultimately landed Al an Oscar nom, so it’s wild to assume the studio initially needed Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, or Warren Beatty as a substitute. And, even after director Francis Ford Coppola championed Pacino for the gig, the journey to show the naysayers fallacious was tremendous rocky.

Al spills the tea in his memoir “Sonny Boy” … saying only a week and a half into filming, Francis dropped the bomb that Paramount wasn’t feeling him for the position.

Francis even confirmed him footage of his efficiency, and Al acknowledged he wasn’t killing it, regardless of admitting he was intentionally underplaying Michael as a result of he needed to discover the character’s journey and potential.

Fortunately, Francis nonetheless had Al’s again, and he bumped up the filming of the long-lasting restaurant capturing scene to point out the Paramount bosses what he was manufactured from.

And boy, did it repay! Al poured the whole lot into that scene, filming for a grueling 15 hours as Michael blasted away at Al Lettieri and Sterling Hayden’s characters from point-blank vary.

He additionally shared his costars had been like a security web for him, understanding he was carrying the burden of the world — and the specter of getting canned — on his shoulders, so that they actually stepped as much as preserve his spirits excessive.