Can you even imagine The Godfather without Al Pacino? It feels like a fundamentally different film without his role in it. Michael Corleone takes on an entirely different take under someone else. His lost innocence doesn't hold as much weight, the dead eyes he slowly carries only works under Al. However, we almost didn't get the iconic role.
Recently, The Guardian nabs an excerpt from the iconic actor's new book Sonny Boy. There, Pacino details some discontent and uncertainty about whether or not he can truly hack it on the film. "There was a discomfort among people, even the crew, when I was working. I was very conscious of that," he writes. "The word was that I was going to be fired, and, likely, so was the director. Not that Francis wasn't cutting it - I wasn't. But he was the one responsible for me being in the film."
Apparently, Al just isn't the perfect fit for anyone at this point. The execs don't see it, Francis Ford Coppola gets a little panic, and Pacino feels a similar amount of discontent. One scene in particular almost gives the Michael Corleone actor an out to call it quits from filming the movie.
Al Pacino Almost Breaks His Ankle and Hopes He Can Finally Quit and Go Home
One stunt where Michael Corleone jumps onto a moving car completely fails. Consequently, Pacino hurts his ankle so bad, it potentially leaves his role in the movie in jeopardy. "I had twisted my ankle so badly that I couldn't move," he continues. "Everyone on the crew had crowded around me. They were trying to lift me up, asking me: Was my ankle broken? Could I walk? I didn't know."
However, panic and stress wasn't on Al's mind. Rather, he felt relief that he might finally be able to shed all the stress. "I lay there thinking, This is a miracle. Oh God, you're saving me. I don't have to do this picture any more. I was shocked by the feeling of relief that passed over me," Pacino writes. "Showing up for work every day, feeling unwanted, feeling like an underling, was an oppressive experience, and this injury could be my release from that prison. At least now they could fire me, recast another actor as Michael, and not lose every dime they'd already put into the picture."
Obviously, things work out, particularly because of his restaurant scene performance. But to think we almost didn't have Al Pacino stresses me out a little bit.
