Al Pacino hails The Godfather’s John Cazale as ‘one of the great actors of our time’
Actor says his ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’ co-star ‘didn’t get credit’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Al Pacino has paid fresh tribute to his late co-star John Cazale, calling him “one of the great actors of our time”.
Cazale, who died from lung cancer in 1978, appeared in five films during his short career. They were all nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.
Pacino co-starred with Cazale in three of those films: 1972’s The Godfather, 1974’s The Godfather: Part II, and 1975’s Dog Day Afternoon.
Speaking to The New York Times, Pacino said: “I learned so much from him. I had done a lot of theatre and three films with him. He was inspiring, he just was. And he didn’t get credit for any of it.”
He added: “He was in five films, all Oscar-nominated films, and he was great in all of them. He was particularly great in Godfather II and I don’t think he got that kind of recognition.”
Cazale continued to act even after he received his terminal cancer diagnosis. Production of his final film, 1978’s The Deer Hunter, was rearranged so that he could shoot all of his scenes first. He died after finishing his scenes, but before production was completed, with his co-star and partner Meryl Streep by his side.
Elsewhere in the interview, Pacino explained why he chose not to attend the Academy Awards when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather. He denied that the decision had anything to do with him not being nominated in the leading category, saying: “No, absolutely not. I was at that stage in my life where I was somewhat, more or less, rebellious. I did go back for others. But I didn’t go to them early on. It was the tradition.”
He added: “I don’t think Bob [De Niro] went to one of them. George C Scott didn’t even go. They had to wake him up. [Laughs] Marlon didn’t go. Look, Marlon gave back the Oscar. How about that? They were rebelling from the Hollywood thing. That kind of thing was in the air.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments