Hollywood great Al Pacino opened up about the movie role he said he regrets not doing as he jokingly took a dig at Harrison Ford — who he said has never thanked him for landing the part in “Star Wars” that would launch his career.
During the 82-year-old actor’s recent appearance with David Rubenstein for the 92NY’s “People Who Inspire Us” series, Pacino said there’s only one role he regrets to this day turning down and it’s George Lucas’ 1977 monster film, the Hollywood Reporter reported.
“I turned down ‘Star Wars,'” Pacino said. “When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous.”
“So I was there and all of a sudden they gave me a script that was called ‘Star Wars,'” he added. “I said, ‘I got the script, they offered me so much money, but I don’t understand it.'”
Al Pacino Recalls Turning Down ‘Star Wars’ Despite ‘So Much Money,’ Jokes: ‘I Gave Harrison Ford a Career’ https://t.co/AdmLn9CcKL
— Variety (@Variety) April 20, 2023
The “Scent of a Woman” star said he decided eventually to turn it down for that reason, before he joked, “I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for!”
At one point in the hour-long chat, the “Scarface” star was also asked if he thinks the original 1972 gangster movie “The Godfather” is “superior” to the second one “The Godfather Part II” released in 1974.
“No, I don’t,” Pacino said. “I really think it’s more — what would you call it — artistic or something, I don’t know. I don’t mean to play it down and be overly modest because I star in it with Bob de Niro, but at the same time, it’s a different film.”
“You see, ‘The Godfather is more entertaining,'” he added. “Godfather II is this study, this personal thing for Francis [Ford Coppola],” he added. “Godfather I, I saw it recently, it’s always got two or three things going on in a scene. You’re always in the story, you’re going.”
“You don’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s storytelling, it’s really storytelling at its best,” “The Devils Advocate” star continued. “Godfather II sort of linearizes, and [it’s] kind of different, somber, moves slowly. But it’s a great movie, I have to say.”