Al Pacino didn’t want to appear in ‘The Godfather’.
The Oscar-winning actor played the part of Michael Corleone in the three crime films, but has revealed he was initially reluctant to accept the role as he considered director Francis Coppola, 75, to be "a bit mad".
Pacino, 74, told the new issue of Loaded magazine out now: "I didn’t want to do ‘The Godfather’. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought, ‘How am I going to play this part?’"
What’s more, Warner Brothers, the studio responsible for the film – which also starred the likes of Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall – were reluctant to hire Pacino because he was not a huge name at the time.
He reflected: "No one wanted me. Except for Coppola who was, I thought, a bit mad. He just wanted me. Even I said, ‘What are you doing Francis? They don’t want me’.
"Of course Warner Brothers said, ‘Who is this kid?! Why do you like this kid? What do you see?’"
However, Pacino explained that an impressive performance in a play convinced Coppola he was the right man for the part – and that even Marlon Brando had to win over doubters to secure the part of Vito Corleone.
He continued: "Francis saw me in a play called ‘Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie?’ I won a Tony for it and he just took a liking to me. I must say, very lucky me, because he is a great man and he wanted me and they wouldn’t take me still.
"I thought, ‘He’s going to lose his job’. They didn’t want Brando either, all due respect."
Al Pacino didn’t want role in The Godfather
