Al Pacino says he was almost fired from The Godfather because of his performance during filming

The Godfather It was a defining moment for Al Pacino.

In the actor’s new memoirs Sonny BoyHe recalls how he was almost “fired” from the 1972 film because of his performance. In an excerpt from the book, received from The GuardianPacino revealed that he had doubts about playing Michael Corleone – doubts that began at the audition. Regardless, he got the role anyway; Director Francis Ford Coppola liked him more than the others.

After they began filming, Pacino wrote: “[co-star Diane Keaton] and I spent those first few days laughing together and reenacting the opening wedding exhibition scene from the rehearsal film that we hated so much.

“Based on just that one scene, we were sure we were in the worst picture ever, and when we were done filming for the day, we were going to go back to Manhattan and get drunk. We thought our careers were over.”

At the time, Paramount studio executives were not impressed with Pacino’s performance and he claimed that they “wondered whether I was the right actor for the role.”

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He continued, “A rumor spread on the set that I was going to be fired from the film. As we shot, you could feel the loss of momentum. When I was working, there was unease among people, even among the crew. I was very aware of that.”

“It was said that I would be fired, and probably the director too. Not that Francis couldn’t do it – I didn’t. But he was the one responsible for me being in the film.”

Pacino shared that a scene was moved up in the shooting schedule “to show what I’m capable of.” In this scene, Corleone exacts his revenge on two enemies.

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

The film was a hit and earned the 84-year-old an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of mafia boss Vito Corleone’s lost son.

Pacino’s memoirs, Sonny Boy is out now.