(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sat 17 January 2026 16:45, UK
Most actors have their favourite people to work with, just as most actors know a handful of people who are insufferable on the job. Just ask Al Pacino.
Now, having worked with more actors than you could imagine, it’s only natural that Pacino has come across some he doesn’t particularly click with. It’s also pretty impressive that, given his years in the game, he’s barely been all that forthcoming when it comes to said figures, preferring a more gracious approach that involves keeping his distance in the future, rather than outward disdain.
This is a good attitude to have, especially for someone who’s one of the best and most respected industry veterans who’s still very much in the game even as new waves of young actors take charge of the landscape. But that’s also precisely why he’s managed to sustain a career so long, because he’s tight-lipped about most matters, a shadowy figure whose presence is always known.
And those rumoured to be on Pacino’s less favourable list seem to stem from creative differences on set, which is only natural when you consider that most people the actor has crossed paths with differ when it comes to acting approaches, some of which clash with his. That said, one of the most well-known suspects when it comes to those he struggled with is Marlon Brando, his on-screen father in the Mafia classic The Godfather.
The reasons were understandable. It apparently happened when, following the film’s release, his co-star won the Academy Award for ‘Best Leading Actor’, with Pacino himself only receiving a nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, despite having more screen time in the film. This move ended up with the actor sitting out of the rest of the awards season, leading people to believe that he’d boycotted out of spite.
However, Pacino later said that wasn’t the case at all, and that those who thought that had gotten the situation wildly misconstrued. Whatever the reason, this occurrence likely warranted his knee-jerk reaction, even if he could have approached it with a little more of his usual grace and humility. When it comes to people he really doesn’t like, however, Brando barely touches the sides.
In fact, only once has Pacino made his vendetta against someone else clear, his words spitting the kind of vehemence you get when they’ve really done you wrong. And although he didn’t name this person, he did make sure that his ill feelings were known. “I came into a room, and I had to be exhausted, so I was bullshit acting, and she turned to the director and actually said, ‘Is he going to do that?” he said.
Adding, “Is that a fucking no-no? Oh man, I cannot work with someone like that. If the ball bounces over the net, at least hit it the fuck back. I should have said that to her.”
There are two sides to every story, of course, but anyone in that situation would have probably wished for more understanding and consideration rather than being hung out to try right to the director’s face. After all, Pacino knows his capabilities and limitations enough to be able to discuss them outright rather than be subjected to humiliation and outright disrespect.
Related Topics
