Maintain up, Al Pacino turned down Han Solo?! Sure, he did. Having delivered a few of Hollywood’s most iconic performances in The Godfather, Serpico, and Canine Day Afternoon, he was provided the possibility to develop into a galactic legend. However regardless of the massive paycheck, Pacino handed on Star Wars in 1977.
At an occasion in New York, Pacino revealed the stunning story: “They gave me a script known as Star Wars. They provided me a lot cash. I don’t perceive it. I learn it. So I stated I couldn’t do it.” It’s as if the universe had conspired to create some of the mind-boggling “What Ifs” in Hollywood lore. As a substitute of Pacino within the iconic function, we received Harrison Ford.
Ever the modest legend, Pacino quipped, “I gave Harrison Ford a profession.” Earlier than Star Wars, Ford was identified for movies like American Graffiti and The Dialog. However Han Solo was the function that shot him into blockbuster territory. Immediately, the remainder was Indiana Jones and The Fugitive.
However don’t suppose Al Pacino was making selections in a vacuum. Through the ’70s, Hollywood needed Pacino in every part. “Once I first got here up, I used to be the brand new child on the block,” he alluded. “They’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play.” With presents pouring in from all sides, Pacino simply couldn’t carry himself to tackle Star Wars, even when the paycheck was greater than tempting.
In fact, Pacino’s profession wasn’t at all times clean crusing. Whereas engaged on The Godfather, he had doubts about his personal future. “I’m standing there considering ‘What the heck, what did I do?’” Pacino recalled, revealing that director Francis Ford Coppola even informed him he was “failing” the movie. However Pacino, ever the perfectionist, battled by means of it. “I do the scene, they preferred it, and so they stored me in as a result of I shot somebody,” he joked. And effectively, historical past was made.
By the point The Godfather dropped, Pacino’s fame was overwhelming. “It’s like a bolt of lightning,” he stated. “Swiftly, some veil was lifted and all eyes have been on me.” Nevertheless it wasn’t at all times straightforward. Pacino admits it took a lifetime to actually settle for the celebrity that got here with the function, although The Godfather was clearly his golden ticket.
So, again to the Star Wars saga—what if Pacino had stepped into Han Solo’s boots? Would the Star Wars universe have felt completely different? Possibly. What we do know is that this: Pacino’s option to cross on the function helped launch Ford into superstardom. And perhaps, simply perhaps, Star Wars wouldn’t have been the identical with out him. As Pacino places it finest: “I gave Harrison Ford a profession.” Guess we must always all ship Pacino a thank-you card.
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