Why Al Pacino Was Nearly Fired From The Godfather One Week Into Filming: "You're Not Cutting It"

Why Al Pacino Was Nearly Fired From The Godfather One Week Into Filming: “You’re Not Cutting It”


Al Pacino reveals that he was nearly fired from The Godfather one week into filming. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with a script he co-wrote with Mario Puzo based on his novel of the same name, the 1972 film follows the Corleone crime family, led by patriarch Don Vito, focusing on his youngest son, Michael Corleone, from 1945 to 1955 as he evolves from a reluctant outsider to a ruthless mafia boss. The Godfather cast includes Al Pacino as Michael Corleone alongside Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton.




In his new memoir Sonny Boy (via Entertainment Weekly), Al Pacino revealed that he was nearly fired from The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola about one week into filming. The actor recalls that the director told him, about “a week and a half” into shooting, “You know how much you mean to me, how much faith I had in you,” Coppola added, “Well, you’re not delivering.” Read a portion of Pacino’s comments below:

I felt that one in the pit of my stomach. It’s when it finally hit me that my job was on the line. I said to Francis, “What do we do here?” He said, “I put together rushes of what we’ve shot already. Why don’t you take a look at it yourself? Because I don’t think it’s working. You’re not working.” 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.

It was impossible for the impact of the role to come through. My interpretation of Michael was like planting a garden; it would take a certain amount of time in the story for the flowers to grow…. Back in Hollywood, Paramount started to look at the film that Francis had shot, and they were once again questioning whether I was the right actor for the part. I thought to myself, “I don’t think there’s anything spectacular here.”



The Actor’s Issues Continued Well Into Production

As one of the most famous and influential films of all time, the issues involving the production of The Godfather, including Pacino’s casting, have been well-documented and even dramatized in the Paramount+ series The Offer. Coppola wanted Pacino because he wanted an unknown Italian-American actor for the part of Michael Corleone. Paramount executives thought Pacino was too short and wanted another actor like James Caan, who originally auditioned for and landed the role of Michael. However, Coppola continued to advocate for Pacino, and executives eventually agreed under the condition that Caan play Sonny Corleone instead.


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Though the issues involving his casting are well-known, Pacino’s comments in his new memoir reveal more about how these issues continued well into filming. Pacino came from a background in method acting and found it difficult to immerse himself in the character of Michael Corleone as quickly as Coppola and the shooting schedule required. This led to several creative clashes, but by restructuring the shooting schedule and Pacino adopting a different approach to tap into his signature intensity, these issues were eventually resolved.

Our Take On Al Pacino’s Performance In The Godfather

It Was Well Were The Trouble

Al Pacino's Michael Corleone sits at a dinner table looking angry in The Godfather


While the two were able to work out their creative differences, Coppola was still frustrated by Pacino’s unconventional and sometimes roundabout method of acting. However, the two built enough of a connection that alleviated Coppola’s concerns. The entire weight of The Godfather‘s story rested on Pacino’s shoulders, and without his performance, it wouldn’t be the film that it is today. Despite the many issues during casting and filming, The Godfather catapulted Pacino from relative obscurity and paved the way for his unique and unparalleled career in Hollywood.

Source: Sonny Boy (via EW)

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