Al Pacino hoped that an injury he received on The Godfather would allow him to leave the film. In The Godfather, Pacino plays Michael Coreleone, the son of crime boss Vito Coreleone (Marlon Brando), who eventually takes his father’s place as the head of the crime family. Since its release in 1972, The Godfather has continued to be celebrated as one of the greatest films ever made.

While appearing on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast (via EW), Pacino said that while filming The Godfather, director Francis Ford Coppola told the actor that he was not happy with the performance he was giving. After seeing some of the footage, Pacino thought that his performance was “not spectacular,” but that his goal was to have Michael blend in before his transition into becoming a crime boss. After receiving the criticism, Pacino revealed that he was hoping to leave the film.

I went, saw the rushes, and I’m looking at the screen and I’m seeing the takes of different things. I’m thinking, ‘Well, this is not spectacular, but why should it be?’ Because I was hoping that I could blend in with the scenery and not be seen specifically, or, you know, spotted and wow. You know?
I just wanted to just blend and just be natural. And I thought, ‘Well, I know that’s the way it looks now, but that’s part of what is going to turn into Michael Corleone and that’s gonna be the impact, because where did this guy come from?’

Pacino’s injury happened while filming a now iconic scene. In the film, Michael shoots and kills Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) at a restaurant. Pacino then had to film a scene of Michael leaving the restaurant and jumping into a moving car.

In the podcast, the actor said that he did not have a stuntman for the scene. While filming, Pacino slipped and injured his ankle. After being injured, Pacino recalled thanking God that he was no longer going to have to work on The Godfather. Pacino’s comments about the injury can be found below:

My ankle was hurt, somehow it slipped. The car had one of those things that you could jump on and then jump in. So I was just looking up at the sky and I said, ‘Thank you, God.’ This was my thought. I actually said, ‘Thank you God. You’re gonna get me out of this film.’ That’s how much I wanted to leave it. I said, ‘This is from heaven.’

However, Pacino’s injury was treated so that he could finish filming that day, and the actor remained in the film. “And people just swallowed, got around me and they said, ‘He’s hurt,’ and then they put one of these big fat needles in my ankle so I could finish the day, and they kept me,” he explained on the podcast.

What Pacino Staying To Play Michael Corleone Meant For The Godfather
The Restaurant Scene Shows An Important Transition In Michael’s Story

Although Pacino wanted to leave the film, having the actor continue to play Michael Corleone was important for The Godfather. Before the restaurant scene, most of the film focused on Vito Corleone. Much of Michael’s screentime was showing him trying to stay out of the “family business.” Those scenes also showed Pacino’s goal of trying to have Michael blend in with the scenery. Once Vito is almost killed, Michael takes a more active role in his family. In the restaurant scene, Pacino showed Michael truly transitioning into his father’s successor.

Related 7 Iconic The Godfather Moments That Weren’t In The Original Script The Godfather features one of the greatest scripts ever written, but the final version was very different from Coppola’s initial draft.

Having Pacino continue to play Michael was also important to the overall The Godfather Trilogy. Since Vito was killed off in the first film, and only appeared in The Godfather Part II through flashbacks (played by Robert Di Nero), Pacino’s role as Michael in the film moved the story forward. Since Vito did not appear in The Godfather Part III, it showed that Pacino’s Michael Coreleone was the true main character of the trilogy.

Our Take On Pacino Staying In The Godfather
Michael Corleone Benefited From Pacino’s Performance

Although Pacino wanted to leave The Godfather, it’s hard to imagine the character being played by someone else. Throughout The Godfather Trilogy, Michael is shown doing terrible things. However, Pacino’s performance humanized the character, where he was more than just a criminal. Pacino showed how torn Michael Corelone was about running the criminal empire and wanting to leave it behind, which made the character’s story more tragic.

Source: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (via EW)

Francis Ford Coppola directed this 1978 classic that would go on to become one of the most iconic crime films ever made. Starring Marlon Brando, James Caan, and Al Pacino, The Godfather gives a tense and introspective look into the Corleone crime family of New York City.Release Date March 24, 1972 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Runtime 175 minutes Franchise(s) The Godfather Budget $6 million Expand