Al Pacino, the 84-year-old acting legend, has made it clear that he's not one to take home souvenirs from his film sets. Despite his iconic roles in critically acclaimed films like "The Godfather" and "Scarface," Pacino confessed to People magazine that he refrains from taking mementos from his shoots. "I'll probably lose them," he admitted. "For a long while, I used to bop from one place to another. I always was a bit of a gypsy."
The one exception to this rule is a homemade Oscar trophy that fans gifted him after the 1983 crime thriller "Scarface" was overlooked by the Academy Awards. A group of admirers presented him with the thoughtful gift after watching him perform in a matinee show of David Mamet's "American Buffalo" in San Francisco. "It was just around the time the awards were coming out, the Oscars were coming out and I didn't get nominated," Pacino recalled. "So the fans out there, they used to wait for me when a show was over. They all got together and gave me this huge Oscar. I thought, 'My God.' I still have it at my house."
By the time "Scarface" was released, Pacino had already been nominated for five Academy Awards but had yet to win. However, he eventually took home the Best Actor award at the 1993 Oscars for his performance in "Scent of a Woman," beating out formidable contenders like Clint Eastwood, Robert Downey Jr., Denzel Washington, and Stephen Rea.
Pacino's film career began in 1969 with a small role in the independent film "Me, Natalie," starring Patty Duke. He later landed the lead in the harrowing 1971 drama, "The Panic in Needle Park." Currently, Pacino is reflecting on his life's work in his new memoir "Sonny Boy: A Memoir." He also recently shared a harrowing experience from his battle with COVID-19, where he had a near-death experience that required paramedics to revive him.
Despite the life-altering experience, Pacino finds solace in his children and his extensive body of work. "It's just the way it is," he said. "I didn't ask for it. Just comes, like a lot of things just come," he admitted, adding that he doesn't find the topic of death morbid.
