Al Pacino has revealed that one of his biggest ‘regrets’ in his career was turning down an iconic Star Wars role as he ‘didn’t understand it’ at that time.
Speaking with David Rubenstein as part of the People Who Inspire Us series, he said he was offered ‘so much money.’
“Well, I turned down Star Wars,” he expressed.
“When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous,” he continued.
“It’s like, ‘Give it to Al,’ they’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play,” Al recalled.
“They gave me a script called Star Wars. They offered me so much money. But I didn’t understand it, I read it… So I said I couldn’t do it. I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for.”
Harrison Ford managed to take on the role of Han Solo in the movie, with the film grossing $775.8 million at worldwide box office with an $11 million budget.
Harrison then reprised the role in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of The Jedi (1983), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
Looking back, he accepted the role Michael Corloene in The Godfather and said he rewatched the film after 25 years.
He said that during filming, studio executives were underwhelmed with his performance and even considered replacing him.
Even though he rejected the iconic role, Pacino has numerous accolades to his name including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards, making him one of the only few actors to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
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