Al Pacino recalls filming of The Godfather: It wasn't a very pleasant experience

Al Pacino doesn't have the fondest memories of his time on the set of The Godfather, where his acting skills were questioned.

Al Pacino was one of the stars of the classic film The Godfather, and it was hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Michael Corleone. However, despite Pacino being the director's first choice for the role, the studio didn't like the actor. They preferred to bet on other entertainers. Pacino himself was initially shocked that Francis Ford Coppola wanted him to play Michael. On the other hand, as Pacino described in his autobiography Sonny Boy, Paramount preferred Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty or Ryan O'Neal.

Pacino also revealed that Coppola had huge problems convincing Paramount to accept his chosen cast - they reportedly rejected every option.

"Paramount had already turned down the entire cast for Francis. They had turned down Jimmy Cain and Bob Duvall, both very good established actors on their way to becoming what they were later to be. They even turned down Brando, for God's sake. It was clear walking into the studio that they didn't want me, either. And I knew I wasn't the only one being considered. A lot of young actors were auditioning for the role of Michael at the time. It was an unpleasant feeling."

However, Pacino had one advantage over the other candidates - the director wanted him to play the role. However, this was not enough to make Pacino feel comfortable in the role, even after he was chosen for the film. He admitted that once they started filming and Paramount executives saw what had been shot so far, they once again began to doubt whether Pacino was right for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. This in turn became a source of difficulty on the set.

"There were rumours on the sets that I was going to be fired from the film. When we were shooting, you could feel the loss of momentum. People, even the crew, were uncomfortable when I was working. I was very aware of that. The rumour was that I was going to be fired and most likely the director as well."

On the set at the time, Al Pacino felt out of place. He saw himself being judged, and even revealed during an appearance on the Conan Show's Team Podcast that those on the set who doubted his abilities "snickered" behind his back. In his autobiography, he wrote that he was relieved when he got injured on set because then they would just replace him and it would be over.

"Going to work every day and feeling unwanted and like a subordinate was an oppressive experience, and this injury could have been my chance to break free from that cage. At least now they could fire me and cast someone else to play Michael without losing every penny they had already invested in the film. But that wasn't the case."

Al Pacino finally proved to all those who didn't believe him that he was right for the role of Michael Corleone and knew exactly what he was going to do in the role. The doubters were convinced by the scene in the restaurant where Michael takes revenge on his enemies.