Al Pacino’s iconic performances in films such as “The Godfather” and “Scarface” have cemented his status as a living legend for decades. But in his new memoir “Sonny Boy,” the 84-year-old star is revealing the financial struggles that once threatened to derail his illustrious career.
In a candid interview, Pacino revealed that a combination of poor money management and an unscrupulous accountant left him completely broke at one point in his life, despite amassing a reported $50 million fortune over the course of his career.
“The kind of money I was spending and where it was going was just a crazy montage of loss,” Pacino writes in the memoir. “The door was wide open, and people who I didn’t know were living off me.”
From paying his landscaper an astronomical $400,000 per year to maintain a home he didn’t even live in to unknowingly footing the bill for 16 cars and 23 cellphones, Pacino’s financial woes spiraled out of control as he struggled to grasp the nuances of managing wealth.
“I didn’t understand how money worked any more than I understood how a career worked,” he admits. “It was a language I just didn’t speak.”
Even more troubling, Pacino later discovered that his longtime accountant had mismanaged his funds, leaving the actor with nothing. “I had $50 million, and then I had nothing,” he writes.
This financial reckoning came as Pacino was entering the later stages of his career, leading him to take on roles he may not have otherwise pursued, simply for the paycheck. “‘Jack and Jill’ was the first film I made after I lost my money,” he says. “To be honest, I did it because I didn’t have anything else.”
But Pacino refused to let his financial troubles completely derail his passion for acting. Instead, he found a new way to leverage his celebrity and earn a steady income—by hosting seminars and speaking engagements at colleges and universities, where he could share insights from his storied career.
“So I started traveling around. I discovered that they were effective,” he writes. “Audiences came because I still had popularity.”
This resourcefulness and resilience is a testament to Pacino’s unwavering commitment to his craft, even in the face of daunting personal and professional challenges. And it’s a characteristic that has been on full display throughout his career, including in his decision to take on the much-maligned “The Godfather: Part III.”
Critics widely panned the film, but Pacino reveals that financial pressures, not creative passion, drove his involvement. “I was broke. Francis was broke. We both needed the bread,” he writes, referring to director Francis Ford Coppola.
But despite the backlash, Pacino remains proud of the work they did, calling the original script “phenomenal” and praising the film’s ending as a “brilliant callback to the first Godfather.”
Ultimately, Pacino’s candid reflections in “Sonny Boy” serve as a poignant reminder that even the most celebrated and successful actors are not immune to the ups and downs of the industry. His willingness to openly discuss the financial struggles that once threatened to derail his career is a testament to his resilience and humility.
“They have that expression, ‘You can’t look back,'” he writes. “Well, I look back, and I love it. I love what I see. I love that I existed.”
As Pacino approaches the end of his illustrious career, this memoir provides a unique and personal insight into the personal struggles and hardships that have molded one of Hollywood’s most renowned actors. It’s a story of perseverance, reinvention, and a lifelong passion for the art of acting—a fitting legacy for an actor whose influence on the industry is truly unparalleled.