Chapter 114: Al Pacino

Al Pacino, now 51 years old and standing at 5'7", contained immense energy. After gaining fame through Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series, he continued to star in major crime films like Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface. He was a superstar in the film industry from the '70s to the early '80s.

In 1985, he starred in the 28-million-dollar film Revolution. The film's domestic box office in the United States was less than a million dollars, causing him to take a four-year hiatus before returning to Broadway to perform in stage plays.

Two years ago, he returned to Hollywood. The Godfather Part III marked a significant comeback for Al Pacino.

In the evening, in the living room of the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood, Al Pacino quietly finished reading the script on the sofa and then looked at Arthur Smith, who was sitting opposite him. "A hot-tempered, stubborn, and alcoholic blind retired lieutenant colonel is indeed a fresh challenge. I've never played a blind person before.

And he has the extraordinary ability to guess a woman's age and occupation just by her perfume.

Especially the speech segment in the school auditorium at the end is very impressive. The script is excellent!"

Although Arthur Smith was young, he had just taken over Orion and scored big wins at the Oscars, demonstrating his keen eye.

Arthur nodded. "While the budget for the film isn't huge, the story is great - a hot-tempered retired officer and a young, kind-hearted student. This highlights the collision of different views and thoughts between two generations and also showcases their mutual path to redemption."

"By the way," Arthur remembered something, "we can add in the contract that our studio will push for an Oscar Best Actor nomination for this role next year."

Al Pacino's eyes lit up. "Looks like you have a lot of confidence, Arthur."

It was common to include such conditions in actor contracts, as nominations for awards like the Golden Globes and Oscars were significant incentives for attracting actors to projects.

"Good script, good actors, and a capable producer," Arthur said confidently. "I don't think there's any chance of the movie failing!"

Al Pacino smiled. "Seems like I have no reason to turn it down. But I'm currently shooting The Bonfire of the Vanities. The earliest I can join is around July or August."

An Oscar Best Actor award had a strong appeal for Al Pacino, and the character indeed had great potential.

"No problem, we were planning to start shooting in the latter half of the year anyway," Arthur smiled. "There are plenty of scenes with the young student in the movie and a lot of interactions with the protagonist. During auditions, Mr. Pacino will definitely need to be present!"

Al Pacino nodded. "Just let me know when the time comes. I need to prepare in advance for how to portray a blind person."

"Happy cooperation!" Arthur stood up and shook hands with Al Pacino.

After Al Pacino left the room, Arthur lit a cigarette, stood by the window, and looked down at Sunset Boulevard.

The director of Scent of a Woman was Martin Brest. He had recommended Jack Nicholson for the lead role. However, when he told Jack Nicholson the story, Nicholson wasn't very interested.

But when he learned that Arthur proposed Al Pacino for the role, he readily agreed, hoping they could persuade Pacino quickly.

At this moment, Jennifer Connelly, dressed in pajamas, walked out of the bedroom. Seeing Arthur smoking by the window, she walked over and hugged him. "What's wrong? Did Mr. Pacino turn down the role because of the small budget?"

Scent of a Woman had a budget of 14 million dollars, similar to Pretty Woman before it, which Al Pacino had directly rejected at the time.

"No, he agreed to take the role," Arthur smiled, pulling Jennifer Connelly close. "Now, very few people can resist the lure of an Oscar, especially those who haven't won one yet."

"Of course, actors are willing to make sacrifices for an Oscar beyond your imagination," Jennifer Connelly thought; she hadn't had the opportunity for one either.

"Arthur, can Scent of a Woman win an Oscar?"

Arthur stubbed out his cigarette. "I said I could get him a Best Actor nomination. Look at his contemporary, Robert De Niro, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for'The Godfather Part II. Then he bagged the Golden Globe for Best Actor and the Oscar for Best Actor with Raging Bull. You think Al Pacino isn't aiming for the Best Actor Oscar?"

"That makes a lot of sense," Jennifer Connelly said, wrapping her arms around Arthur's neck and giving him a kiss.

After a while, Arthur suggested, "How about going out for something to eat?"

Lying in Arthur's arms, Jennifer Connelly smiled and said, "But I'm hungry right now!"

Saying so, Jennifer Connelly knelt down...

"Ah," Arthur leaned back against the window, letting out a heavy sigh, his hands resting on Jennifer Connelly's hair.

Al Pacino taking on Scent of a Woman made Arthur happy, and now he was thrilled.

Using the Oscar to lure Al Pacino was a clever move. Seeing his rival Robert De Niro's increasing success, with his The Godfather Part III missing expectations, couldn't have felt good.

No comparison, no distinction. Both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were Italian-American and both rose to fame through The Godfather series.

Both frequented mafia movies, but Robert De Niro met his destined director, Martin Scorsese. A film like Taxi Driver cemented his place in history, becoming Scorsese's go-to leading man.

Then, his peak came with Raging Bull, a biographical film about the middleweight Italian-American boxing champion Jake LaMotta from the '40s. After that, he released the critically acclaimed epic Once Upon a Time in America.

In contrast, Al Pacino's only memorable work after The Godfather series was Scarface.

Compared to Robert De Niro's evolution post-The Godfather series, Al Pacino's definitely seemed lacking.

It was partly due to Al Pacino's choices. In the '70s, following The Godfather series, he was undeniably the top star. He turned down roles in Taxi Driver, Once Upon a Time in America, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, and others.

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