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Al Pacino Just Watched ‘The Godfather’ for the First Time in Decades: “Humbling”

As a new Audible podcast revisits the creation of the 1972 classic, the film’s story waxes nostalgic: “I thought, ‘Oh no, the life I knew is now over.’”

The 10-episode series, including conversations with castmembers, filmmakers and critics, grapples with The Godfather ‘s legacy on topics like masculinity, power, the American dream — even meatballs, in an episode that features chef Tom Colicchio. I was trying to understand how Pacino had created one of the most captivating characters in film history, Michael Corleone, a fresh-faced college boy turned ruthless Mafia don, with a quiet, ominous performance that took him from little-known New York theater actor to global movie star. Pacino told me his ambition as a young actor had been to perform in regional theater, “make a living, marry a seamstress and have 10 kids.” Shortly after The Godfather came out and became an immediate cultural sensation, he was standing on a street corner in New York when he realized everything was about to change.

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