Hollywood legend Al Pacino recalls the excruciating moment he was stuck with a “fat needle” for numbing pain after a gnarly injury on ‘The Godfather’ set.
The 84 year old silver screen icon, best known for his role as the fiercely ambitious mob boss Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 mafia masterpiece, recounts in his fresh memoir ‘Sonny Boy’ how a severe ankle twist almost cost him the gig that would bring an Academy Award nod.
According to revelations from his new autobiography detailed on the ‘Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend’ podcast, Al’s mishap occurred during the iconic scene where his character makes a daring escape following a tense showdown in Louis’ restaurant. Al explained: “My ankle was hurt, somehow it slipped.”
Read more – Al Pacino nearly died as pulse stopped and paramedics rushed into legend’s home
Emphasising the urgency of the situation, Al recounted: “(When it happened) people just swallowed, got around me and they said, ‘He’s hurt,’ and then they put one of these big fat needles in my ankle so I could finish the day, and they kept me.”
Furthermore, Al shares the inside scoop on casting dramas for ‘The Godfather’, revealing studio execs had other plans before his name was sealed for the Corleone heir: “Paramount didn’t want me to play Michael Corleone They wanted Jack Nicholson They wanted Robert Redford They wanted Warren Beatty or Ryan O’Neal.”
Whiskey
Reflecting on the character of Michael, Pacino underscored author Mario Puzo’s initial description, stating: “In the book, (Mario) Puzo had Michael calling himself ‘the sissy of the Corleone family’.”
“He was supposed to be small, dark-haired, handsome in a delicate way, no visible threat to anybody.”
Al revealed he landed the role after a boozy flight to a screentest, recalling: “(I was told) I would have to screentest for the role, which I had never done before, and that I would have to fly out to the west coast to do it, which I just didn’t want to do.”
“I did not care that it was ‘The Godfather’ I was a bit afraid of flying and I didn’t want to go to California.”
“But my manager, Marty Bregman , said to me, ‘You’re getting on that f****** plane’. He brought me a pint of whiskey so I could drink it on the flight, and I got there.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
