Pacino saved the 1973 Academy Awards, leading to many theories.
October 29, 2024, published at 3:00 PM ET
Al Pacino has opened up about the brutal impact fame had on his life when he was at the height of his career.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that the iconic actor sought advice in the hope of coping with the pressure he faced in Hollywood.
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Pacino sought help in hopes of coping with the pressures of fame.
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The 84-year-old told Dermot O’Leary on his BBC 2 radio programme: ‘Jack Kerouac, the great writer, the greatest generation of writer who lived in the city, couldn’t cope with it and someone said about him he was ashamed. through success.
‘Fame embarrassed him. So I guess maybe I had a little bit of that in me or something.”
Pacino added: “So I didn’t show up to a couple of Oscars and I got a reputation – because they thought, someone said and my representation said, ‘Oh Pacino’s not going because he’s not the lead, he’s a supporting actor.’ for the Oscar… ”
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The 70-year-old did not attend the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, leading critics to suggest he was upset about the nominations.
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The Hollywood star received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Michael Corleone The godfatherHowever, Pacino did not attend the 45th Academy Awards.
At the time, critics suggested that Pacino missed the ceremony because he felt he should have received a Best Actor nomination instead, like co-star Marlon Brando.
Brando, who also did not attend the ceremony due to poor treatment of American Indians in entertainment, won his category while Pacino lost to Joel Gray.
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Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
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Despite the rumors about the reason behind Pacino’s no-show, he clarified during the radio show: “Can you imagine me saying, ‘I don’t want to go because I’m supposed to be there with Brando? It’s just not in my nature. is nowhere near. And I knew I didn’t want to go because, honestly, it scared me.
“I was working in theater in Boston and I was scared.”
He explained: “Because it’s a strange feeling to feel out of place. I mean you can’t function because you don’t know the language. In a way, it’s a precarious place to be in. And I’ve experienced it a few times because I was very famous and didn’t even know it.”
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The actor admitted he didn’t attend the event because it “scared” him.
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While Pacino missed out on the Oscar for his role in The godfatherhe instead picked up a National Board of Review (NBR) Best Supporting Actor.
The actor shared, “I was in Boston doing a play, and I was staying at the director’s house, he gave me a room in his house. I remember waking up and he said, ‘You won the National Board of Review Award for acting’ in The Godfather,’ and I remember saying to him at the time, ‘Wow, that sure is cool.’ I said, “Do you know a psychiatrist I can see?” Straight from my mouth, because that’s the condition I was in.”
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Pacino didn’t win his category that night, as Joel Gray won the Oscar instead.
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Pacino’s time filming The godfather was a tough task, as he was dealing with a terrifying injury. The star was stabbed with a ‘big needle’ to numb the pain after his ankle ‘slipped’ while filming an escape scene.
He talked about the Conan O’Brien Needs a friend podcast: “[When it happened] people just swallowed, gathered around me and said, ‘He’s hurt,’ and then they stuck one of these big needles in my ankle so I could finish the day, and they held me down.”
At the time, Pacino thought the injury would “take him out of the movie,” which he was hesitant to audition for in the first place.
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He explained, “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.”
Pacino was told to fly to California to screen test for the role, which he “just didn’t want to do.” However, he got the role that launched his career.