Almost exactly 50 years ago, The Godfather premiered, and in anticipation of the anniversary on March 15, the New York Times spoke with star Al Pacino about the film and his role in it.
"I’m here because I did The Godfather," Pacino told reporter Dave Izkoff. "For an actor, that’s like winning the lottery. When it comes right down to it, I had nothing to do with the film but play the part."
Pacino went on to speak about how he never had a choice to play Michael Corleone.
"At that time in my life, I didn’t have a choice. Francis wanted me. I had made the one film. And I wasn’t as interested in film to the extent that I became interested. My head was in another space. I felt out of place in the early films that I made. I remember saying to my friend Charlie [his mentor, the acting teacher Charlie Laughton]: Wow, they talk about it being real, but meanwhile it’s not. Because there are wires all over you. And also, you’ve got to do it again! [Laughs] You do it and they say, well, go again, do it again. It’s real and not real at the same time. Which takes some getting used to."
In a separate interview, director Francis Ford Coppola said that when he read The Godfather book, he kept imagining Al Pacino in the part—he never had a second choice for who to cast.
As Pacino recalls, "I got a call from Francis Coppola — a name from the past. First, he says he’s going to be directing The Godfather. I thought, well, he might be going through a mini-breakdown or something. How did they give him The Godfather?"
He continues, "I’ve got to tell you, it was a big deal already. It was a big book. When you’re an actor, you don’t even put your eyes on those things. They don’t exist for you. You’re in a certain place in your life where you’re not going to be accepted in those big films — not yet, at least."
But back to Coppola, Pacino tells the Times, laughing, "He said, not only was he directing it, but he wanted me to do it. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh here. It just seemed so outrageous. Here I am, talking to somebody who I think is flipped out. I said, what train am I on? OK. Humor the guy. And he wanted me to do Michael. I thought, OK, I’ll go along with this. I said, yes, Francis, good. You know how they talk to you when you’re slipping? They say, 'Yes! Of course! Yes!' But he wasn’t. It was the truth. And then I was given the part."
A new TV show, The Offer, will dramatize the making of The Godfather, focusing on Hollywood producer Al Ruddy. Anthony Ippolito will play Pacino. The drama is set to premiere on Paramount+ on April 28.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
