Academy Award winner Al Pacino recalled turning down the `Star Wars` role and shared why he was reluctant to be part of the popular franchise.
“I said, `I think I`m in the mood to make Harrison Ford a career,`” shared Pacino, recalling a visit with Francis Ford Coppola at his and George Lucas` San Francisco-based production company headquarters for American Zoetrope, reported Deadline.
“They were in the late-`60s making this. They were real idealists coming into the `70s with great films all over the globe,” he said, adding, “So, it was a wonderful place that I actually saw, I went to the building and everything before I did Godfather with them.”
Recalling the reason behind his reluctance, Pacino said, “So I loved their work, but I was doing a show on Broadway at the time, and they handed me this script, and I thought, I don`t understand. I thought I must be out of space myself. But I looked at this thing and I sent it to Charlie Loughton, my friend and mentor, actually. I said, `What do you make of this?` He was pretty wise and he said, `I don`t get it, Al. I dunno. I don`t get it.` I said, `Well, I don`t either; what are we going to do? They offered me a fortune, but I don`t know. No, I can`t play something if I don`t speak the language,” reported Deadline.
Meanwhile, Al Pacino is set to star in the upcoming hostage thriller `Dead Man`s Wire,` directed by Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant.
According to Deadline, the film is based on the true story of a gripping hostage situation that captivated the world in 1977. Austin Kolodney penned the screenplay for Dead Man`s Wire, and the film already boasts an impressive ensemble cast.
Bill Skarsgard, Dacre Montgomery, Myha`la, Cary Elwes, and Colman Domingo, all of whom were previously announced, will join Pacino in the thriller.
The plot of `Dead Man`s Wire` is based on the real-life events of February 8, 1977, when Anthony G “Tony” Kiritsis, a 44-year-old man, entered the office of Richard O. Hall, the president of Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage.
Armed with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun wired to his own neck by a “dead man`s wire,” Tony demanded USD 5 million, immunity from charges, and a personal apology from the Hall family for cheating him out of money he believed was owed to him.
This high-stakes standoff will be brought to life on screen by Van Sant, known for his previous work on films such as `Good Will Hunting` and `Milk`.This marks the first collaboration between Pacino and Van Sant. Pacino, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in `Scent of a Woman`, most recently appeared in `Knox Goes Away`.
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