Pacino - I Learned More About Acting From John Than Anybody

when you've been quoted as saying that he was like a active partner well he was my acne partner he was like my older brother too he was a bit older than I a couple years so he was and he was that way with me two of them yeah he could take it easy it's a to me calm down he was there for me hit it if you're still rowing yeah yeah you're so good he had a great sense of reality if that means anything I don't even know how to say that it's just that John was there he was here occupy the space and he was there I mean he wasn't off this way that way he was grounded and his work would take him off into places but in life he seemed to be real the person with a head on their shoulders the person the go-to person person he'd go to when you well you need some help if I were to hold a photograph which I actually did on West 68th Street at a photograph from a still from The Godfather and held it up on the street and ask people who John was and a lot of people were able to say afraid out a lot finally but they were not able to say very few knew his name why do you think that video is that's the thing with John that sort of separates him from from the crowd in a way because John was the John was the actor who became who he was playing I've done a lot of work with John so I know I did a lot of theater with John and I watched him become things you know and he did it in his hope and his it was a gradation and he became whoever it was he was playing and John would be Fredo you'd believe that's who he was of course and I watched him do whatever he wrote from I did Dog Day with him I did several plays with him and he was amazing to watch me it was a lesson in itself I think I learned more about acting from John than anybody yeah tell me well give me an example uh he would did we would do things together I did this play called the local stigmatic with him which I subsequently did a movie of with someone else actually in the part because John was gone had passed but before that we did we did this play and I remember starting out and thinking well you know say my lie to him and he'd say a line back to me but he wouldn't be alive would be something else was a sort of what he was feeling at the time and then I would say you know I got to do this and and this annette maecius we got to do this and we got to do that he said I'd say yes he'd say well what do we have to do well we have to do this and anyway just circumvent and go this way and that way and eventually he would get us in a place where we were really talking to each other about things that were really there things that were in us and it was it was it was a process of rehearsal that eventually got us to places that I mean I can't even call it improvisation I can call it aligning oneself up to the character in finding that and then going with it there was no CD you never know when acting started with John and when it ended and so consequently he do these characters and eventually they would become what they were he didn't start that way you'd wonder where he was during rehearsals and you know he was there but you would wonder great he's not really giving it the old and then he would just become this wasn't extraordinary thing to watch and to be around to witness it was always an incredible sadness he was able to really tap into something truth yes and quiet yes but that sadness I think that's why as a child I was just instantly attracted to that and I think now as an adult wanted to even through this movie it said but what what about it where was that from do you think of where was what was he tapping denied to be so honest with that I know he is Montgomery Clift was his favorite actor he emulated him and and loved him and he loved Brando by the way the big thing you really love Marlon and I think he was uh he was sad I can know much about his personal life but there was something back there that was deeply affected him I knew he didn't want to have children I don't think at least what I remember there was some foreboding that I think he saw something in the future know what it was but he might have seen that what happened to him were felt it that's how aware of things he was I think that's how tuned he was he might have saw that for his future how did he react to working with Brandon sincerity Oh Brando he just listened he saw things in Brando that time yeah I mean he just would watch him uh tell me that you see the way he did that before he moved this way as I say Jones a little ahead so he was seeing things and able to see things feel things in a way that just a little finer and I I thought gee he's he's ahead he's ahead it's interesting that he said he thought about doing roles throughout his life and of the only five movies that he did he play Fredo twice yeah it's interesting it yeah certainly I think that in the second Godfather Coppola and everyone gave him more to do than it yes well they show what they have he started in the scenes between us oh yeah so much dynamics going on I mean you feel you feel a deepness that only a family - right any one part he was family he was family can you talk about the process I mean especially in the Godfather to the the way the scenes are shot are so simple in terms the cameras not moving and - shot of it - close-ups but it can go on for seven minutes and you can watch for 20 minutes there's so much electricity was so interesting with John now that you mention it he acclimated is very sophisticated so that he knew that certain way of working he's not gonna work here in movies so he has his that other thing he does so we hardly talked in The Godfather - or Godfather one you know uh we didn't talk about the scene or anything because he knew that wasn't needed there that wasn't gonna go anywhere and and it sort of is the trick of movies but would Sidney Lumet and and John and I in that picture and the way the relationship was I think we did a lot of talking but most he would just check out the environment and if it looked like it yeah so it wasn't kosher to do that he wouldn't do it as a young man you - starting out as actors and you end up coincidentally in this play and the play becomes a success since what was he liking and in fact you like at that moment when you suddenly I guess started to see that you might actually make a living as an actor well I think we John it was very clear it's pretty did you know there wasn't even a question about whether he's gonna do something else or how difficult to businesses John was such you know you don't like to say this so much but he can't help it but John he was an artist and that was what he was gonna do nothing was gonna stop that career or business or anything that was beside was he what didn't matter really what matter was the plank and the passion and a plank being the stage and the passion and that's what he had and I remember we were casting dog day and Sidney Lumet wanted aid a nineteen year old boy he thought that would be very important and he was sort of right the way you know and the younger boy who goes to this Bank is then shot and my friend Charlie Laden said what about John and the more we thought about it the more John loomed up so of course Sidney I would think with John it's not what I'm thinking John Cazale know the guy who did Fredo no we did I don't know if he had done the conversation without memory he'd done it already ever it was so we got John in and in John and I and of course said he saw him and so he did you know and we had this thing we did we said look what would be interesting is these guys don't know each other and they have really no idea who they are together you know they've never been in any kind of a situation here they they saw each other in passing and they're together in this job so they're always finding out about each other everything they do you know the discovery it's always about discovery so it was really interesting interesting idea and one time there was a scene we ever heuristic ascending the men like stirrers which is good I suppose she would play that as some movie that has so much so much dialogue and so so complicated so anyway we were we were doing the same and John item has to say in the same because the guide television says there's just two homosexuals I'm holding up this Bank and John is lying he says but I'm not I'm not homosexual and he was on trouble with that and Jan said hmm I'm not only sexual he says what do I mean but when I say that why do I say that well Sydney lament being asked are the great talent and intellectual and smarter than anybody I've ever met he was a whiz kid cinnamon started explain to me why he says it excuse me my name so it explained him why he says it and I knew it was over I knew we weren't gonna work for a while and I just started pacing and back in the back because I work with John and John says he loved to ask questions because he taught me about asking questions and not having to answer them that's the beauty you ask a question about something but you don't have to have an answer what's wonderful about is you opened the door to things you have the variables now that you've asked the question and so there was Sydney talking to him and saying well you know what I mean I guess and then finally he said to John you say it because it's written and I'm telling you as the director you have to say it and John said oh you should have told me that in the first place I would yes so you had that perverse straight to which we all all appreciated and we got back to doing the same and that's you know what they call money time when you're discussing the theory behind things in a movie on a movie set while the cameras are rolling and everybody the crew is sitting there looking at you you know it's what you're not supposed to do that and you usually go to a camper somewhere to do it yeah you don't do it good job wasn't arguing he just kept asking of course if Sydney would say it's this and Stan then John would say oh yes yes but why would he sell in sauce on sale you know did that's what Sydney would get into the entanglement and it would got it got to the point where Sydney who is extremely patient man let me tell you he he he blew it he just said no way you doing it cuz I say it and then John says in the movie is fine how did how did he take I mean Godfather she became an international sensation yeah that's it part two and one black spinel all this stuff how did he take that change in his life however it was just being part of something so so monumentally in popular culture well I don't know John John sometimes kept things in and I cuz I wouldn't I can't imagine how he wouldn't have been somewhat shook up by not getting an Oscar nomination at second that second one I was sort of shocked when I didn't say anything but I thought oh you know I can understand why people don't get nominated in movies that are obscure and they're great but they're not movies that are but here a movie so fun center so out there so they're you know you would think you've gotten more recognition for that part in his time but he didn't and I don't know how he felt about that Meryl I think might know more about how he felt I I don't know I always felt that that must have affected him somewhat I would think yeah and then dog day you seem in dog day and nothing again you know he was he needed two roles that significant in pictures that are significant you know you would expect a little bit more attention that's all but I don't know I I would I would think he cared about that a little bit anybody would he would be sort of superhuman to think that he would I'm thinking that John probably would have been interested in a national theater I think that's the direction he did on because he so he got so much from the delving into things and the material and I mean you know they say well actors kind of thing they do it John grew in a role and grew and became it and became it more and more he never stopped it was endless that's what he taught me too that it just never over you just keep going you know I mean I did American Buffalo once twenty five years ago and I remember then after a year still rehearsing and I got that from John and that you know you you you cuz things keep happening things and it all the texture it all becomes and it's the opportunity in life theater and regular movie things get it and go you you go do whatever you get because it's over cuz it's printed that's it but with a play you can see John knew about the idea of the great stage actors of the past had repertoires which they did their entire life so they had three or four plays parts not many parts just two maybe two or three parts that they were glorious in maybe even one and they repeated this throughout their lives so that by the time if they started at 25 by the time they were 50 can you imagine him doing those roles I mean it it was different wasn't acting anymore something else they were doing so close to opera singers I guess I think that's what John fascinated yon it thrilled him and he got a lot out of that and I think that's the direction he might have his life might have gone are there moments when John comes back to you there should be I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you after this documentary I'm gonna start thinking about John more because he he does inspire so I mean I've been thinking about him enough and that's what happens you I used to dream about John Locke of course when it first happened and he was always alive in a dream see it's always there you know from 30 years I was doing a play called the basic training of pavlo Hummel on Broadway and it was a really great role and then I had done things with it my had done the Tony Award and I was really a you Albert John was coming to see it and I don't like to know when anyone's in the house but I knew John was in the house right and every single thing I did every scene I did was trying to impress John and I knew I'm doing this was a me sound like doing this I'm trying to impress John and it was over and I was really unhappy because I knew I hadn't done and John came back he said it's very impressive oh very impressive I thought yes dad I said you know what I said he was so graceful though he was so gracious about Lala I said you know I knew you were there and I was China I'm doing everything twice as much as I had to do it yeah this was good that was good it was good so you don't know you don't realize that you know you've been airing but I do I so I was very amiable he was like one of my idols so that when he was coming to see me it was you give all out and that's the worst thing you can do is try to impress your your friends who you love

Channel: rikinvasani

Views: 954,039

Rating: 4.8923368 out of 5

Keywords: The Godfather, The Godfather (Film), The Conversation, The Conversation (Film), Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter, Rediscovering John Cazale, I Knew It Was You, Al Pacino, Al Pacino (Film Actor), Meryl Streep, Gene Hackman, Robert DeNiro, Steve Buscemi, Richard Dreyfuss, Sam Rockwell, Sidney Lumet, Brett Ratner, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Pacino, De Niro, Streep, Actor, Acting, Theater, Theatre, Acting Lesson, Great Actor

Id: uQAUuBv4Ly0

Length: 19min 51sec (1191 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 18 2012