Al Pacino Thought Francis Ford Coppola Was Joking About Godfather Role
Oscar-winning acting legend, Al Pacino, originally thought director Francis Ford Coppola was joking when he offered him the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. After 50 years, the highly acclaimed and beloved crime family film remains as relevant as ever, with countless numbers of films and television programs having been inspired by Coppola’s magic. The film went on to set up two sequels, with the third Godfather film having recently been recut.
The crime saga tells the tale of the Corleone family and son Michael’s rise to the status of Godfather. Initially a young World War II veteran who wasn’t interested in getting involved in the family business, Michael’s opinion changed after his father Vito (Marlon Brando) was nearly killed by a rival crime family. Generations of audiences have watched Michael’s transformation into the Godfather in the first film, marveling at the work a young Pacino put in to truly master the performance. By the second film – the likes of which many fans consider to be superior to the first – Michael is a cool and calculated killer who will stand at nothing to obtain the power he desires. It’s a riveting portrayal of greed and power, which brought Pacino his first Academy Award nomination in 1973.
Related: Why Francis Ford Coppola Made B-Movies & Adult Films Before The Godfather
Prior to directing The Godfather, Coppola had not exactly blown away audiences with his filmmaking. In fact, after revealing to Pacino that he was going to adapt Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel, Coppola then explained that he wanted Pacino to play Michael Corleone. At the time, Pacino had only been in two films, though he had acquired a certain degree of acclaim. Nonetheless, as The New York Times revealed in a
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