Michelle Pfeiffer has always been one of the toughest and most captivating performers on-screen, yet even some great and legendary personalities failed to recognize her talent. This includes even the highly renowned The Godfather movie series star, Al Pacino.
As a series of unfortunate events would have it, The Irishman actor had initially dismissed Pfeiffer from starring in his $66 million classic movie because of a rather bizarre reason. However, being the compelling actress that she is, the Grease 2 star took it to extraordinary lengths to prove Pacino wrong as to how worthy she was to play the part.
Al Pacino Didn’t Want Michelle Pfeiffer In His $66 Million Movie
Although Michelle Pfeiffer played an extraordinary role as Al Pacino’s enthralling wife Elvira Hancock in Scarface (1983), she wasn’t initially approved for the role. Revealing years later about how The Irishman star didn’t want her to star in his $66 million movie for a rather peculiar reason, she shared while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017,
“I think it was maybe the nature of the project… and, he [Al Pacino] didn’t particularly want me for the part, you know. But, look, my last credit before that was ‘Grease 2’, can you blame him?”
But what was worse was the excruciatingly long and drawn-out audition process that she had to undergo in order to get selected for the part.
“It was a really long and drawn-out auditioning process, and there were a number of women auditioning and it went over a period of, I don’t know. It seemed forever, but it was like about 2 or 3 months. And I was terrified. And I was really young. And, you know, he didn’t want me. And as it went on, the worse I got. Because I just got so afraid. And by the end of it, Brian De Palma was very sweet to me. And he was really rooting for me, Brian. And he said, ‘You know, I’m sorry, but you’re just… bad now, what’s going on?'”
And like that, because Al Pacino didn’t want her in the movie, Michelle Pfeiffer got out from the audition round. But then how did she end up giving such a spectacular performance opposite Pacino in Scarface?
How Michelle Pfeiffer Ended Up Bagging The Role In Scarface (1983)?
Turns out, after she left the auditions, they couldn’t find a better choice for the role. Thus, they called Michelle Pfeiffer back to the sets for a screen test.
“Then, about a month later, they called and said, ‘We wanted to screen test you’, and I was like, ‘Ugh!’ Because part of me was just relieved to have the torture end. And when they called, I was just like, ‘Noo!'”
But despite not wanting to go through the excruciating process once again, the Grease 2 star ended up going back, though not to give it her best this time.
“So, anyway, I show up and I kind of drag myself, and I have, you know, just no feeling at all that I have any shot at getting this. So it kind of freed me up, you know, and then sort of, I wasn’t afraid. And then I just show up and we do the restaurant scene where I kind of freak out at the end. And I threw dishes and everything was flying, and I broke things, and ‘Cut!’ I was in it, and there’s blood everywhere.”
Sounds like the screen test got a bit too serious! She continued to reveal how she thought it was her blood splattered around, but found herself dumbfounded as the truth unfolded.
“Everyone comes running over to me, checking me. I thought it was my blood. Where am I cut? [But] they’re not finding anything, there are no cuts in me. And I look over and Al is bleeding. Oh my god, I cut Al Pacino! And that’s how I got the part.”
Just like that, Michelle Pfeiffer went unhinged to show The Godfather star, Al Pacino, along with the rest of the crew, that she had what it takes to play the compelling character of Elvira Hancock in the $66 million movie!
You can stream Scarface on Peacock.
Source: YouTube
