Al Pacino Reveals He Was Almost Fired From ‘The Godfather’

Al Pacino, who still rules the hearts of fans for his breakthrough performance in The Godfather even after almost 50 years, he has made a shocking revelation about the film.

In his new memory Sonny Boythe Academy Award winner revealed that the mob drama almost replaced him.

“Paramount didn’t want me to play Michael Corleone,” he wrote in an excerpt shared by the guardian

Pacino continued, “They wanted Jack Nicholson. They wanted Robert Redford. They wanted Warren Beatty or Ryan O’Neal.”

“But here’s the secret: Francis wanted me. He wanted me and I knew it,” wrote Pacino. “And there’s nothing like when a director wants you,” he added.

He also recalled that after a while of filming, Paramount again questioned whether he was the right choice for Michael Corleone.

“Finally, Francis decided something had to be done. … At this point we had been shooting The Godfather for about a week and a half. And Francis said, ‘Well, you’re not cutting it,'” Pacino added.

The director then moved on to shoot the Italian restaurant scene, where Michael Corleone seeks revenge.

“Then Francis showed the restaurant scene in the studio, and when they looked at it, there was something there. Because of that scene I just performed, they kept me in the movie. So I didn’t they fired The Godfather”, he wrote.

Al Pacino’s portrayal of Michael Corleone earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He also received the best actor for The Godfather Part II.