Mr. Pacino, how do you deal with weight of your own achievements?
I don’t know. You don’t think of it that way. You don’t think of those parts as achievements. You think of the roles you play, the paintings you’ve made. I mean, imagine an actor saying, “I don’t want to go on anymore because I can’t do better than the last movie I made. I might as well quit now.” We’d call that resting on your laurels and I guess you’re not supposed to do that. I’m all for that! You know, resting on your laurels, you get a nice big check, take another profession on… But for some thick reason, I keep wanting to go back and do this stuff.
Because you want to try to do something new?
Yeah, if I find something that I feel I can contribute to in a way, and feel as though I’m in it, I’m saying something – whatever that means. What it means is that I “hold as it were the mirror up to nature,” as Shakespeare says. If I’m expressing something that I feel is a way to exercise my talent and help to communicate a role, a human being in a movie, I will try doing it. I’m not going to say the word “retirement” because it’s kind of a strange word for an artist to say, “retirement.”
The artist Christo says that artists don’t retire, they just die.
But there are artists that have retired. Like Phillip Roth – I did a movie of his book The Humbling. He has quit writing and he’s very happy! So he says. He goes off and does what he does. I can understand that. It gets so routine. You get the script, you’ve got to read the script, you’ve got to learn the script. You have to go through that process again. So, you’re looking for the other things, like a director who wants to use you.
But surely all directors want you.
Before The Godfather, the first Godfather, nobody else wanted me. But Francis wanted me! He just wanted me, and I didn’t understand it… The studios didn’t want me, nobody wanted me – nobody knew me. I think when a director is interested, I have a tendency to lean forward instead of backing off. You’re looking for a risk you can take, a challenge, the fact that you fall down and get up and go on.
Why?
When you do it long enough, you want to keep yourself open. You don’t want to close off because vulnerability is important. You can’t let your skin get too thick. Like Brecht says in that great play he wrote, at a young age, too. At 22 he wrote In the Jungle of Cities and one of the characters says, “Man’s skin is too thin for this world.” So, he sees that it grows thicker and thicker, until finally he is bumping into things and not feeling them anymore.
Do you regret any of the movies you did because of your desire to push your own limits?
I don’t regret anything. I feel that I’ve made what I would call mistakes. I picked the wrong movie, or I didn’t pursue a character or I played somebody and made some choices… But everything you do is a part of you. And you get something from it. And I mean, the idea and excitement of being in these situations and places – they are more than just memories, they inform your life. So I don’t regret anything.
Not even turning down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars?
Star Wars. Yeah, that was my first big mistake.
And a Terrence Malick script?
Yeah, a long time ago Terry wanted me to be in a movie, and I always wished… There’s another one of my many mistakes. They’re in the museum of mistakes! All the scripts I rejected!
Would you say that you have a different approach to acting today than before?
Yeah, I would imagine I do. I couldn’t go on this long otherwise. We just go through our cycles as we live and I think age is about that. I think we’re here – and then we’re not! Whenever we go, we go and we don’t know when, any of us. So we go through cycles.
Are you enjoying this cycle of your life?
You know, when you think of it, is the glass half empty or half full? That’s the way it is for all of us, really. There are days when I really do enjoy it. But there are days when not… If I were a painter nobody would question me about my age. “I paint! I’m an artist!” I hate saying that. I don’t like saying that. That’s one thing I learned early on. A woman I lived with said, “Whatever you do, don’t tell them you’re an artist.” I said, “I know! I don’t!” (Laughs) I’ll avoid that. And I have been avoiding that for many years. Let’s put it this way, I think I’m an artist. I hope I am. But I think if I were a painter, the questions would be different.
But all actors have the same problem.
Because of the visual thing. It’s because of the image. It’s because we have to deal with our image, even though we play different characters, the image is always there… So that’s part of why there’s a kind of pretentiousness in saying you’re an artist, because after all, you’re a movie star. And that’s wrong too! That’s pretentious, too – I’m a movie star! So what the fuck do you say?
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Short Profile
Name: Alfredo James PacinoPlace of birth: New York, New York, USA
DOB: 25 April 1940
Occupation: Actor
I love this guy top man ! xx
I, myself, am very happy and grateful for all the hours of entertainment and getting out of myself that your artistry allowed me to enjoy. I cannot verbalize how thoroughly I welcomed your “cycles”. Thank you for sharing yourself with everyone in our realm. You are a true artist in the truest sense of the word. A Michelangelo, A Picasso in the art of portraying the characters you took on and I humbly thank you for sharing your gift with me Mr. Pacino- thank you!
Loved this interview. I’m grateful as well to be in this industry (film/TV) as behind the scenes. Some days I love it and some days I just want to crawl under a rock and say “forget about it”!!! I’ve been in the media industry for 34 years now. I’ve tried to do into the medical field, teaching and other genres, it just didn’t work for me. I knew at 14 I wanted to be in this business and so I am, until I close my eyes at rest.
read this in al pacino voice
Mate yr a fkn legend i love yr work & it sounds like yr happy, so congrats keep up the great work, i love ya
Wisdom and suffering has made him the great person he is..
Thats what is life all about; you stand for what you do. Be honest and be yourself, than you will achieve everything you wish for. Think outside of the box and be open for the new world but don’t forget the old one.
Al Pacino says that’s pretensious when people declare: “I’m an artist”. That’s Paccino saying. Just this fact makes this interview incredible. I really love the conversations that take place in here. Congratulations! I’m a brazilian journalist and admirer of the website.
Some days you think that Al Pacino is done with acting than he comes up with Danny Collins. He was superb in that movie and Al is here to stay for a long time…
Al Pacino:
For me, YOU ARE THE BEST, the best actor, the most handsome man I´ve ever seen, with a personality that will never end. I heard you visited Mexico City, how would I wished to have met you, shake your hand and tell you what I think about you. Anyway, I´ll keep enjoying all of your films, specially Scent of a Woman, wow!!! Again, you are the best!!!
Haha, the final was great. I m sure the master it s not just a artist, he is like a god for movies.
You are my hero. I love all your movies. I just wish I could call you hear your voice and say these words …Thank you Pacino
God I don’t know what I’m doing, maybe I’m typing here in vain… so many things I have to say!!! This is not the proper place of course but there isn’t any other!!! I have to say something happened in my mind and in my heart which had only happened once, it’s just this time it was the strongest and it was complete, like I felt I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this person, this beautiful human being, this beautiful soul, her happiness was my happiness, forever. And the point where I simply just didn’t know myself anymore was when I found out that, for this person, I didn’t feel in trouble with my work, writing, research, schedule etc, suddenly my life just adapted to share her goals and achievements, to be a perfect companion for all the ride. My entire mind was listening to you, was paying attention to you and I didn’t worry about my list of works to do, not at all, there’s time for everything. True Love, unbelievable. I hope we never lose this friendship. God bless you always. This is what I had left to say, won’t cause you any more trouble I’m sorry. Also, this doesn’t mean I’m proposing or something, it wouldn’t work this way I know, it’s just I really wished for a way to keep our companionship in some fashion. Btw, it will take me many years to look like Al Pacino (God bless his acting!!!) everything on its due time. ILY TLF
Al pacino is the greatest movie star he is a legend.that way i bought the god father DVD..komplit..salute mr pacino.
I Love him..a great actor!
I love Al Pacino but I fail to see Lucy Macini in the Godfather! The scent of a woman is great and that drug conflict in which a sister is killed is breathtaking!
To me you are a true legend, having followed most of your films. You inspire me to reach higher.
Al Pacino. Who else can better av me on my toes. I love all ur works. U inspired me a lot. Peace don corleoni
Al Pacino….the best ever…! As an actor am proud to say that he is one of the reason I do this for living….! Pacino forever…….