Al Pacino hoped that an injury he received on The godfather would allow him to leave the film. in The godfatherPacino plays Michael Corleone, the son of crime boss Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), who eventually takes his father’s place as the head of the crime family. Since its release in 1972, The God has continued to be celebrated as one of the greatest films ever made.
While appearing on the Conan O’Brien needs a friend Podcast (via EW), Pacino said that while filming The godfatherDirector Francis Ford Coppola told the actor that he was not happy with the performance he was giving. After seeing some of the footage, Pacino thought that his performance was “Not spectacular“But that his goal was to have Michael blend in before his transition to become a crime boss. After receiving the criticism, Pacino revealed that he was hoping to leave the film.
I went, saw the rushes, and I look at the screen and I see the names of different things. I think, ‘Well, it’s not spectacular, but why should it be?’ Because I was hoping that I could blend in with the scenery and not be seen specifically, or, you know, spotted and wow. you know?
I just wanted to blend in and just be natural. And I thought, ‘Well, I know that’s the way it looks now, but that’s part of what’s going to turn into Michael Corleone and that’s going to be the impact, because where did this guy come from?’
Pacino’s injury happened while filming a now iconic scene. In the film, Michael shoots and kills Virgil Sollozzo (El Lettieri) and Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) in a restaurant. Pacino then had to film a scene of Michael leaving the restaurant and jumping into a moving car.
In the podcast, the actor said that he did not have a stuntman for the scene. While filming, Pacino slipped and injured his ankle. After being injured, Pacino recalled thanking God that he was no longer going to work on The godfather. Pacino’s comments about the injury can be found below:
My ankle was hurt, somehow it slipped. The car had one of those things that you could jump on and then jump in. I just looked up at the sky and said, thank you, God. That was my idea. I really said, ‘Thank you, God. You will take me out of the film.’ That’s how much I wanted to leave it. I said: This is from heaven.
However, Pacino’s injury was treated so that he could finish filming that day, and the actor remained in the film. “And they just swallowed, circled around me and said: He’s hurt, and then they put one of the big fat needles in my ankle so that I could finish the day, and they held me.“, he explained on the podcast.
What Pacino staying to play Michael Corleone meant for The Godfather
The restaurant scene marks an important transition in Michael’s story
Although Pacino wanted to leave the film, the fact that the actor continues to play Michael Corleone is important for The godfather. Before the restaurant scene, most of the film focused on Vito Corleone. Much of Michael’s screen time was showing him trying to stay out of the “family business.” The scenes also showed Pacino’s goal of trying to have Michael blend in with the scenery. Once Vito is almost killed, Michael takes a more active role in his family. In the restaurant scene, Pacino showed Michael truly transitioning to his father’s successor.
Related
Having Pacino continue to play Michael is also important to the overall The Godfather Trilogy. Since Vito was killed off in the first film, and only appeared in The Godfather Part II Through flashbacks (played by Robert Di Nero), Pacino’s role as Michael in the film moved the story forward. Since Vito did not appear in The Godfather Part IIIIt showed that Pacino’s Michael Corleone was the true main character of the trilogy.
Our take on Pacino staying in The Godfather
Michael Corleone benefited from Pacino’s performance
Although Pacino wanted to leave The GodIt’s hard to imagine the character being played by someone else. throughout The Godfather TrilogyMichael shows up with terrible things. However, Pacino’s performance humanized the character, where he was more than just a criminal. Pacino showed how torn Michael Corelone was about running the criminal empire and wanting to leave it behind, which made the character’s story more tragic.
Source: Conan O’Brien needs a friend (via EW)