Al Pacino Hit Rock Bottom After Losing His Beloved Mother & Grandfather Within a Year | “I Lost the 70s in a Way”

Al Pacino opened up about the darkest days of his life. In his early 20s, the deaths of the two most beloved people in his life affected him greatly. "The lowest point of my life was losing my mother, Rose, and grandfather – they died within a year of each other. I was 22 and the two most influential people in my life had gone, so that sent me into a tailspin," the 83-year-old told The Guardian in 2015. He spent years lost in that darkness until he decided to bring light back into his life. "I lost the 70s in a way, but then I gave up drinking in 1977 and decided to focus on the work," the Scarface star said.

The veteran actor looked to his grandfather for inspiration as he went through life. Pacino claimed it was he who taught him the joy of working. "My grandfather, James Gerardi, taught me about work. He was a plasterer and work – any kind of work – was the joy of his life. So I grew up wanting to – it’s what I’ve always chased. The joy of work is what keeps me going," he confessed. Pacino admitted that his teachers thought that he "needed a dad. I wasn’t an out-of-control teenager, but I was close," he said. Therefore, he went on to focus all his energies on his passion for acting. He dropped out of high school and got himself enrolled at the High School for Performing Arts, in Manhattan.

To support his studies, The Devil's Advocate star started working odd jobs including being a janitor, busboy, and postal clerk. He said, "After college, I was often unemployed and at one time I slept in a storefront for a few days. But I’ve never been materialistic." His never-give-up attitude is what fueled his zest for life to keep going despite the odds. "I believe I have reached my stride, which is why I persist. As long as you have passion for the art, keep working, because age catches up with you," he shared. 

The award-winning actor reflected on his "most difficult" role as Michael Corleone in the cult classic The Godfather telling The New York Times in a 2022 interview that he is "deeply honored" by the praise the film has received over the last 50 years. "It's a piece of work that I was so fortunate to be in. But it's taken me a lifetime to accept it and move on," he said. "I'm here because I did The Godfather. For an actor, that's like winning the lottery. When it comes right down to it, I had nothing to do with the film but play the part."

References:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/movies/al-pacino-the-godfather.html

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/25/al-pacino-this-much-i-know

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Amy Sussman