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Francis Ford Coppola went to extreme lengths to cast Al Pacino as Michael Corleone inThe Godfather. Although it was easier compared to casting Marlon Brando, Paramount was initially adamant about casting bigger names in Michael’s role. Pacino had to withdraw from another project to join Coppola’s film. Despite overcoming these challenges, Pacino feared that the movie would turn out to be bad, particularly after filming the wedding sequence in the film.
Pacino got really drunk with his co-star Diane Keaton after the sequence and shared his apprehension with her. Fortunately, theInsomniaactor was proved wrong as the film went on to become the biggest blockbuster at the time, grossing between $250-$290 million.
Also Read:“I’m not working on Scarface anymore”: Luca Guadagnino Departs Iconic Al Pacino Starrer Reboot Ahead of His Steamy Zendaya Movie ‘Challengers’ Release
Al Pacino FearedThe GodfatherWould Flop After Filming One Scene
The Godfathercelebrated its 45th anniversary in 2017 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The reunion event included directorFrancis Ford Coppolaand stars includingAl Pacino,Diane Keaton, andRobert De Niro. They attended a question-and-answer session where the actors provided some surprising insights into the making of the epic crime drama.
Pacino especially held nothing back, revealing his worries about the film’s outcome during filming. The Oscar-winning actor admitted that one particular scene scared him — the wedding scene between his character and Keaton’s Kay Adams. The scene had to be filmed in artificial light due to the crew running way behind schedule.
TheDog Day Afternoonactor revealed that there was so much chaos on the set that he and Keaton decided to get drunk. Keaton was seemingly amused at this revelation, but theScarfaceactor continued that they talked about the film and that he shared his apprehensions with Keaton aboutThe Godfatherbeing the worst film ever made. Al Pacino shared at theTribeca Film Festival:
“Diane and I in that wedding thing… I mean we got so loaded after that wedding scene. A lot of chaos going on there. We got back and we started drinking and we were just talking about ‘Where do we go from here? We’re done. It’s the worst film ever made.’”
TheScent of a Womanactor was so wrong about his prediction, as the film went on to grab multiple awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Grammys. The film won the Best Picture Oscar and it also helped establish Al Pacino as a Hollywood icon.
Also Read:“I never intended to be a movie star”: Not Just Star Wars, Al Pacino Turned Down a Steven Spielberg Blockbuster to Keep His ‘Acting’ Purity Intact
Francis Ford Coppola Pushed For Al Pacino’s Casting As Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone was one of the last roles to be cast in the film, as Paramount executives eyed a popular actor. They wantedRobert Redfordto take the lead whereas producer Robert Evans wanted to cast Ryan O’Neal. However, Al Pacino was Coppola’s choice as he was a relatively unknown actor and fitted the Italian-American description required for the role.
However, Paramount found Pacino too short for the role and continued to audition several other actors for the role. At one point,Burt Reynoldswas offered the role but he decided to decline the offer afterMarlon Brandothreatened to quit if Reynolds was cast. Coppola eventually was able to convince the producers to cast Pacino in the role.
The Irishmanactor faced another challenge as he had already signed a contract to star in MGM’sThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. MGM and Paramount reached a settlement and Al Pacino left the signed film to joinThe Godfather.
Also Read:“I just couldn’t take it anymore”: Johnny Depp Didn’t Want To Stay Anywhere Near Al Pacino After Working on $125M Film, Claimed He Was “Certifiably Insane”
All three films inThe Godfathertrilogy are now available for streaming on Paramount+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
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.
