Four Hollywood legends talk to
Al Pacino about his retrospective
“The best thing I heard about that once is, ‘I don’t want you to miss me. I want you to remember me,’” Al Pacino said when asked how he’d like to be remembered. At 77 years old, the actor—a living legend to film industry players and enthusiasts alike—is being honored through a retrospective at the Quad Cinema in New York City, where he was born and raised.
Running through the 30th, “Pacino’s Way,” as it’s titled, encompasses a range of Pacino’s work. There are, of course, the highly acclaimed classics The Godfather [1972], Dog Day Afternoon [1975], but also, so much more, including two films directed by Pacino, Salomé, based on Oscar Wilde’s 1891 tragedy. The second, Wilde Salomé, is a documentary-drama and exploration of the play. Both will be re-released on the big screen tomorrow (they originally premiered in 2011 at the 68th Venice International Film Festival), and both star Pacino opposite a young, unknown Jessica Chastain.
The actor wanted the audience to think of two things after seeing the films: to find interest in Oscar Wilde, for those less familiar with the poet and playwright, and to come away with Chastain’s performance. “Sometimes, certain actors just go there,” he said of the actress. “It’s not like I was seeing something that didn’t exist or which I had special vision for. It was right there. I even turned to the producer at one point and said, ‘Am I dreaming?’”
So, in all, how does Pacino feel about receiving the retrospective and chance to look back at his extensive, remarkable career? “I feel very good about it,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I felt the best I think I’ve ever felt about anything that was being done for me. Because when I saw what they did,” he continued, “I saw myself.”
Here, Chastain herself, as well as directors who have worked with Pacino in the past, Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, 2002), Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, 1997), and Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice, 2004) put questions to Pacino.
