Trained at the Actors Studio, among the greatest American actors, Al Pacino has long had nothing to prove. Among his legendary and memorable compositions, which one did he think was the most difficult?
Trained by Charles Laughton, one of the greatest theater actors, then at the Actors studio by Lee Strasberg who would become his mentor, Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors in American cinema and cinema in general, having played characters who have long entered the legend of the 7th art. Trained in “the method” specific to the Actors Studio, Pacino is known for delivering very intense and physical acting.
As was the case with one of the masterpieces of his filmography, A Dog’s Day by Sidney Lumet, in 1976. He came out very tired from the filming of The Godfather II, but this did not stop him very slightly feed himself, sleep very little each night and take cold showers daily in order to slip into the skin of his character as best as possible.
If his interpretation in Lumet’s film is rightly considered one of the actor’s best compositions, his demands on himself were such that he collapsed one day on the set, overcome by fatigue: he was immediately hospitalized. During the two years that followed, he devoted himself to theater. More relaxing for him.
“I didn’t feel wanted…”
In this immense, long-term career, even if inevitably up and down, what is the role that Pacino considers the most difficult? He gave the answer in 2015 in an interview with the Guardian (via The Independent): “the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather was, and remains, the most difficult role of my career. I didn’t see him as a gangster, I felt his power was his enigmatic quality.”
The Godfather: when Al Pacino consoled a tearful Francis F. Coppola on the set
“I wanted to be replaced; I wondered what I was doing there. I didn’t feel wanted. Acting requires confidence. You have to feel like you’re wanted in the role” will tell years later Pacino. At the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, he was so nervous and uncomfortable that he filled himself with tranquilizers.
“I am deeply honored to have made this film. Truly. A work that I was lucky enough to be a part of. But it took me a lifetime to accept it and move forward. It’s not not like I played Superman.” declared Pacino in 2022while we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the film.
A work in which Pacino effectively delivers one of the greatest compositions in the history of American cinema, and of cinema in general.