How Al Pacino Was Cast In The Godfather (& Why It Was Controversial)
Warning: SPOILERS for The Offer Episode 5 — «Kiss The Ring»
It's hard to imagine anyone but Al Pacino playing Michael Corleone butThe Offer shows why his casting as the lead in The Godfather was so controversial. Played by Anthony Ippolito, Pacino is a minor character in The Offer, which focuses on producer Albert S. Ruddy (Miles Teller), as the show's main protagonist. But The Offer also highlights just how much director Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler) wanted Pacino to star inThe Godfather and why the behind-the-scenes drama behind his casting was so difficult.
In 1971, Al Pacino was a well-known and respected actor on Broadway but he only had one film,The Panic In Needle Park, to his credit. AsThe Offer depicts, Paramount Pictures' head of production Robert Evans (Matthew Goode) was under a great deal of pressure to bring his ninth place studio more hits. Evans scored withLove Story, which starred his wife Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal, and grossed $100-million at the box office. Evans needed The Godfather to be Paramount's next blockbuster and he hated the idea of Al Pacino playing the lead role of Michael Corleone. Evans wasn't impressed by Pacino's screen tests and deemed the actor «too short.» Plus Bob wanted a movie star like Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, or Jack Nicholson headlining The Godfather opposite Marlon Brando, who was another choice of Coppola's Evans was against. But the director won out and got Al Pacino. Of course, Coppola was absolutely right and the rest is history, but Al Pacino's casting still wasn't cut-and-dry.
Related: George Lucas' Forgotten Role In Making The Godfather Explained
As it plays out inThe Offer, Al Pacino was contracted to MGM for a different film about organized crime,The Gang
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