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Francis Ford Coppola had quite the tussle with Paramount to cast Al Pacino in the role of Michael Corleone inThe Godfather. Pacino was Coppola’s favorite, while the studio was against his casting due to his height. When Coppola finally convinced the studio to cast him, theScarfaceactor was skeptical of the film after his first day of filming. He revealed in a 2023 interview that he and co-star Diane Keaton feared for their careers on that day.
However, Al Pacino’s assumptions about the film were proven wrong when it went on to become an industry hit. It also launched the career of the actor who became one of the greatest living actors of our time.
Al Pacino and Diane Keaton Thought Their Careers Were Over After 1 Day Of FilmingThe Godfather
Al Pacinoopened up about his apprehensions while filming the role of Michael Corleone onThe Godfather. During his 2023 appearance at 92NY’sPeople Who Inspire Usseries, Pacino shared that he believed his career was over after the first day of shootingThe Godfather. He also revealed that he and co-starDiane Keatongot drunk and talked about how their careers would be ruined after the film came out.
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He shared this story earlier at the 45th anniversary celebration of the film at theTribeca Film Festivalin 2017. He gave the context that the crew was filming the scene where his character, Michael, and Keaton’s character, Kay Adams, were getting married. The scene had to be filmed in artificial light because the crew ran behind their planned schedule.
The Irishmanactor revealed that filming the scene in the artificial light was so much chaos. It proved to be too much for bothPacino and Keatonon their first day and they decided to get drunk. Al Pacino shared during thePeople Who Inspire Usseries (via The Hollywood Reporter):
“Diane Keaton and I got drunk and thought, ‘This is it, our careers are over. This is a mess.’”
TheDog Day Afternoonactor’s prediction was so wrong as the film was far from a mess. It was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made. According toBox Office Mojo, the film earned somewhere between $250 and $291 million at the box office. It also received 11 Oscar nominations at the 45th Academy Awards, winning three Oscars.
Al Pacino’s Casting InThe GodfatherHappened After Several Challenges
Paramount had eyed several actors for the role of Michael Corleone, includingRobert Redford, Warren Beatty, and Ryan O’Neal. However,Francis Ford Coppolapushed for the casting of Al Pacino in the film. The director revealed at the Tribeca Festival that he had already imagined the actor roaming the Sicilian countryside as Michael at the time.
EvenPacino wanted a different role in the movie. He had initially eyed the role of the hot-headed Corleone brother, Sonny, but Coppola insisted that he audition for Michael. The studio initially castJames Caanin the role of Michael, but Coppola refused to budge (via Vanity Fair). The studio eventually had to go with Pacino in the lead role and Caan as Sonny Corleone.
“It’s like they’re trying to tell us something”: Al Pacino and Dan Stevens Continue Hollywood’s Latest Obsession With Exorcisms in New Movie
Paramount also had to negotiate a deal with MGM to release Pacino from the contract for the film,The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight(via CBS News). The role later went to Robert De Niro, who dropped a role inThe Godfatherto join that project.
The Godfathertrilogy is now available for streaming on Paramount+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Al PacinoDiane Keaton
