He mentioned David Mamet once and I whooped for joy when he did.
Although he was there, in theory, to talk about his life's work, the majority of his time was spent discussing The Godfather and Scarface. There was nary a mention of Glengarry Glen Ross.
After the show, Mr. Pacino proceeded to a backstage area where he would meet and be photographed with the audience members who had purchased VIP packages. There were about 200 people in that little room and each of them got about five seconds with the man. I got my picture taken with him, which I reproduce below.
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| I'm the one on the right |
Here is a brief transcript of our conversation:
Al: Hi.
Steve: Hi, I'm Steve. I'm a big fan of David Mamet.
Photographer: Okay, look at me please.
Al: I'm working with him on a new play in New York.
Steve: What's it called?
Al: China Doll.
Usher: Okay. you have to go.
Steve: I better go, Al.
Al: Bye.
I was going to ask Mr. Pacino to give me a title for Rotating Pineapple, my sister blog where I write a note a day. I didn't have time to ask, but I'm cheating and using China Doll as my title. You can read it at www.rotatingpineapple.com
In any case, here are a few memorable things that happened at the event:
- One 51-year-old lady told Mr. Pacino that he was the sexiest man alive and would love to tango with him like he did in Scent of a Woman. He said he would try to do that during the meet and greet but, alas, it never happened.
- One man called Pacino the greatest teacher he ever knew. He said that in 1992, he was lying on a mattress in a basement somewhere with hypodermics in his arms, severely underweight, wanting to die. Watching Pacino's performance in Scent of a Woman made him want to live and stop defining himself by his disability. I think that his speech sincerely touched Mr. Pacino and reinforced the notion of the healing power of art.
- After shooting the cemetery scene for The Godfather, a young Pacino happened on his director, Francis Ford Coppola, standing next to a tombstone and weeping. Al asked Francis why he was crying and the answer was that the producers wouldn't allow him to shoot the scene again from another angle. "That's a man I want to work for," Pacino said. "If you can cry because you weren't allowed to shoot another scene, you have passion."
- You know that famous scene toward the end of Scarface where Tony Montana is sitting in a restaurant with his wife and his best friend? He's drunk, probably high, railing against his wife for being unable to bear a child for him? Well... Oliver Stone had written that scene to take place in a restaurant but the producers, fearing cost overruns, elected to shoot it in a nightclub instead. The idea upset Pacino. He met with the producers and persuaded them to shoot in a restaurant because Oliver Stone had written in that way and the scene would be more effective if it took place in a high-end restaurant instead of a club. The producers reluctantly agreed, even though it cost about $100,000 more. "And that's how actors get a reputation for being difficult," he said.
I doubt you're reading this, Mr. Pacino, but if you are, I'd like you to know I enjoyed the evening very much and please say hello to Mr. Mamet for me.
