It’s hard to imagine anyone other than the legendary Al Pacino in the role of Michael Corleone some 50 years after the premiere of The Godfather, but if the iconic actor had his way, he wouldn’t have appeared in the movie at all. That’s according to his new memoir Sonny Boy, which hit shelves on October 8, and revealed in Pacino’s own words how he felt relieved after an ankle injury threatened his permanent removal from the production.
Per Variety, Pacino’s performance in The Godfather when he was around 30 years old wasn’t living up to Paramount’s expectations, leading to rumors on set that he was going to be released from his contract, and that director Francis Ford Coppola would also be terminated because he was the one who championed Pacino for the part. As such, when it came time to perform his own stunt which saw his character of Michael Corleone jump onto a moving car, Pacino felt a sense of relief when he twisted his ankle and thought for sure that spelled the end of his time in the picture.
“I had twisted my ankle so badly that I couldn’t move. Everyone on the crew had crowded around me. They were trying to lift me up, asking me: ‘Was my ankle broken? Could I walk?’ I didn’t know. I lay there thinking, ‘This is a miracle. Oh God, you’re saving me. I don’t have to do this picture anymore.’ I was shocked by the feeling of relief that passed over me. Showing up for work every day, feeling unwanted, feeling like an underling, was an oppressive experience, and this injury could be my release from that prison. At least now they could fire me, recast another actor as Michael, and not lose every dime they’d already put into the picture.”
Al Pacino’s Ankle Injury Actually Saved Him from Being Fired
While Pacino may have been hoping for a quick reprieve from The Godfather due to his twisted ankle, just the opposite happened. Execs at Paramount took a look at the scene – which featured Corleone getting revenge on Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) and Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) over the shooting of his father Vito (Marlon Brando) – and suddenly began to see Pacino in a new light. His performance in the moment convinced them that he was the right man for the job, and his ankle injury only served to further prove his commitment to both the movie and his role.
“Because of that scene I just performed, they kept me in the film. So I didn’t get fired from The Godfather. I did have a plan, a direction that I really believed was the way to go with this character. And I was certain that Francis felt the same way.”
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Pacino would go on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor thanks to his tremendous execution of Michael Corleone, and a Best Actor nod the following year for The Godfather Part II. Surprisingly, he was left off the ballot for the third entry in the series, which is probably for the best considering today it’s known as one of the worst sequels in movie history, and who wants to be remembered for that?
- Release Date
- March 14, 1972