Al Pacino reveals he was almost fired from The Godfather

Al Pacino, who still wins the hearts of fans due to his groundbreaking performance The Godfather has made shocking revelations about the film even after almost 50 years.

In his new memoirs Sonny BoyThe Oscar winner revealed that the mafia drama almost replaced him.

“Paramount didn’t want me to play Michael Corleone,” he wrote in an excerpt he shared The Guardian.

Pacino continued: “They wanted Jack Nicholson. They wanted Robert Redford. They wanted Warren Beatty or Ryan O’Neal.”

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

He further recalled that after some time in filming, Paramount was asked again if he was the right choice for Michael Corleone.

“Finally, Francis decided that something had to be done. … At that point we had been shooting The Godfather for about a week and a half. And Francis said, “Well, you can’t do it,” Pacino added.

The director then moved on to filming the Italian restaurant scene where Michael Corleone seeks revenge.

“Then Francis showed the studio the restaurant scene, and when they looked at it, there was something there. They kept me in the film because of the scene I just played. So I didn’t get fired The Godfather“, he wrote.

Al Pacino’s portrayal of Michael Corleone earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He also received an award for Best Actor The Godfather Part II.