Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford among studio picks for ‘The Godfather’ lead, says Al Pacino

Al Pacino has revealed that studio bosses wanted the likes of Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford to take the lead role in The Godfather ahead of him.

The star said in an extract from his new book Sonny Boy (via The Guardian), which came out last week, that Paramount were not interested in him taking the role and the likes of Warren Beatty and Ryan O’Neal were also ahead of him on the list.

“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,” he said.

Despite that he did get a screen test for the role and he was asked to fly out to the west coast, which he didn’t want to do.

Pacino said: “I did not care that it was The Godfather. I was a bit afraid of flying and I didn’t want to go to California. But my manager, Marty Bregman, said to me, ‘You’re getting on that fucking plane.’ He brought me a pint of whiskey so I could drink it on the flight, and I got there.”

He went on to reveal that the studio rejected Francis Ford Coppola’s entire cast including Marlon Brando.

“They rejected Jimmy Caan and Bob Duvall, who were great established actors, well on their way to what they would become. They rejected Brando, for Christ’s sake,” Pacino explained.

“It was quite clear walking into the studio that they didn’t want me either. And I knew I wasn’t the only one being considered. Many of the young actors of the day were reading for Michael. That was an unpleasant feeling.”

Despite that Caan and Duvall eventually went on to secure roles in the film and Pacino said that it was down to Coppola that he landed his own role.

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

Despite that, even when he secured the role, Paramount were unsure whether he was right for the part.

He said: “Paramount started to look at the film that Francis had shot, and they were once again questioning whether I was the right actor for the part. The rumour had got out around the set that I was going to be let go from the picture.

“You could feel that loss of momentum when we shot. There was a discomfort among people, even the crew, when I was working. I was very conscious of that. The word was that I was going to be fired, and, likely, so was the director. Not that Francis wasn’t cutting it – I wasn’t. But he was the one responsible for me being in the film.”

According to Pacino, even Coppola was unconvinced at one point and it wasn’t until filming for the Italian restaurant scene began that he won over Paramount.

He said: “Francis showed the restaurant scene to the studio, and when they looked at it, something was there. Because of that scene I just performed, they kept me in the film.”

Elsewhere, he recently said in an interview, that he has never taken cocaine in his life, even though “everybody thinks I have”.

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