If we were to think about the sacred monsters of cinema still active, Al Pacino would certainly not be missing from the roll call. It is no coincidence that the Italian-American star has had an active role on the set since the early Seventies, boasting of having collaborated alongside some of the most important directors of all time in masterpieces that are still praised today and taken as a point of reference by old and new generations. After appearances in unforgettable titles such as "The Godfather", "Scarface" and "Scent of a Woman", the maestro boasts a memorable filmography today, of such prestige that only a few others have the luxury of showing off. Yet, among many unforgettable titles, there has been no shortage of appearances in projects with a questionable artistic profile; after all, even a life studded with successes can find itself exposed to complicated situations, where circumstances do not go entirely as expected. Pacino himself tells the story in his recent autobiography entitled "Sonny Boy". Among the many anecdotes, we discover in particular the reasons behind the choice to accept, especially at a mature age, some job offers of little importance. This would have happened because, at a particular moment in his life, the star would have encountered problems of mismanagement of the assets due to his accountant, discovering that he had lost the sum of about fifty million dollars.
It wasn’t until 2011 that Pacino realized that his bank account was in serious trouble: “There was a fundamental episode that made me realize that my accountant at the time, a guy who had a lot of famous clients, wasn’t trustworthy.” After renting a luxury villa in Beverly Hills and paying for his family’s vacation in Europe, the star discovered that his finances were the same as before the expenses. His suspicions had now been confirmed: “It’s simple. It’s clear. That’s all I know. Time has stopped. I’m fucked.” From that moment on, a long and arduous climb began to get his financial health back on track: “I was broke. I had $50 million and then I had nothing left. I had properties, but I had no money. In this industry, when you earn $10 million for a movie, it’s not $10 million. Because after you pay the lawyers, agents, advertisers and the government, it’s not $10 million, but $4.5 million that goes into your pocket. But you live above that because you're on cloud nine. And that's how you lose. It's very strange how it happens. The more money you make, the less you have." Discovering the scam at age seventy, Pacino inevitably had to reinvent himself, aware that the same visibility and million-dollar engagements of the past would never return: "I was no longer a young guy and I would not earn the kind of money I had earned acting in previous films. The big fees I was used to no longer came. The pendulum had changed and it was harder for me to find parts. I did films if I thought I was right for the part and if I felt I could bring something to the table." To cope with the difficulties, the actor also starred in mistreated films such as Adam Sandler's "Jack & Jill," which he nevertheless remembers fondly for the bond of affection he formed with his colleague: "Adam Sandler wanted me and they paid me a lot to do it. So I went out and did it, and it helped. I love Adam, it was wonderful to work with him and he has become a dear friend. He also happens to be a great actor and a great guy."
Among other solutions, the star chose to get involved in commercials after having refused them for years, sold one of his properties and began to take an interest in teaching at colleges and seminars. "My seminars were another great discovery for me. In the past, I would always go to colleges and talk to kids, just to go out there and perform for them, in a way. I would tell them a little bit about my life and they would ask me questions. ... I wasn't getting paid for it. I just did it. Now that I was broke, I thought, why not continue?"
