Home / Authors / Al Pacino

Al Pacino

Al Pacino Quotes

Film actor

Al Pacino, born on April 25, 1940, is a renowned American film actor. He is best known for his outstanding performances in classic films such as 'The Godfather' series and 'Dog Day Afternoon'. Pacino's acting has been highly acclaimed, earning him multiple Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

Filter quotes by topic

All Actors Way Ifs People Knows Play Acting Thinking Want Feels

Famous Al Pacino Quotes

“I haven't encouraged [Julia Marie Pacino] or discouraged her. I let her go her own way. I did say to her that I thought that she had a real gift, and it's a good idea to know that. It's always good to go with your gift.”

Knows Way Ideas Real Havens Good Ideas Discouraged Julia Marie Let Her Go

Author:Al Pacino

“Pretty soon I'll start worrying about [my fame] because [my children] carry my name and they have that exposure. The whole thing is, they never asked for it, that kingdom.”

Children Whole Names Worry Fame Kingdoms My Children Exposure

Author:Al Pacino

“I once asked my oldest daughter [Julia Marie] if she thought about changing her name in school and she said, "No, I'm a Pacino. That's my name." I just wondered how it would feel, how people would treat her, but she's adjusted so marvelously.”

People Ifs Feels Said School Names Daughter Treats Julia Marie

Author:Al Pacino

“When [Julia Marie Pacino] was 5 or 6 years old, we were in an Italian restaurant, and these people came by the table and they would start talking to me, asking me for my autograph and she just went under the table.”

People Years Talking Asking Tables Restaurants Italian Autographs Julia Marie

Author:Al Pacino

“I probably write a poem every 50 years.”

Author:Al Pacino

“I had these little babies [my twins] and it gave me something so spectacular, such a feeling - I was so turned on and so excited by them that I wrote a poem. I had it on scraps of paper and the maid threw it out.”

Littles Feelings Baby Paper Excited Twins Spectacular Maids Scrap

Author:Al Pacino

“My best advice to any young person is, if you want kids, be careful who you have them with. That's my mantra.”

Ifs Want Persons Kids Young Advice Careful Be Careful Mantras Best Advice

Author:Al Pacino

“I've had very deep relationships that lasted for long periods of time with people - you could almost call them marriages, even though I didn't marry. But it was costly.”

People Long Periods Very Deep Long Periods Of Time Deep Relationship

Author:Al Pacino

“There are a couple of times I would've liked to have married. I think I made a mistake, especially once.”

Thinking Made Mistake Couple Married Made A Mistake I Made A Mistake

Author:Al Pacino

“Larry Grobel has the illness of all writers, he can't help himself. You're talking to him and all of a sudden, you say, "He's puttin' that in his cash register!"”

Helping Talking Illness Cash Register Larry Talking To Him

Author:Al Pacino

“It was a compromise. There was a sense that I could write my own memoirs, and Larry [Grobel] would help me down the line, or maybe not, maybe he was too close to me.”

Writing Helping Lines My Own Memoir Compromise Help Me Larry

Author:Al Pacino

“I didn't want the book [of memoirs] out, naturally - Larry [Grobel] knew that for 20 years, 15 at least, I didn't want anything written about me. Then, you know, things happen, finally it's OK and I trust Larry. Nothing about it is salacious in any way.”

Knows Way Want Years Book Happens Written Things Happen Memoir Larry

Author:Al Pacino

“When I was younger, there was the sex thing. That's par for the course.When you're a movie star, it went with it. It's a kind of rite of passage, socially.”

Kind Courses Stars Sex Passages Movie Star Rite Rite Of Passage

Author:Al Pacino

“Many years ago, in the late '70s, I toured colleges along the East Coast and I presented a kind of show where I got a lot of books and poetry and pieces of [William] Shakespeare and other writers that I admire, read it to the class and then afterward we would talk and I would answer questions. It was really a way of expressing and finding out about where I was at that particular time, so it was very therapeutic for me.”

Way Years Kind Book Shows Answers Class Pieces College Particular Findings Late Years Ago East Admire Coast Therapeutic East Coast

Author:Al Pacino

“My early career was a real rush of movies and stardom - it was almost overwhelming.”

Real Careers Overwhelming Stardom

Author:Al Pacino

“I found that speaking live to people, young people, about what I liked and what had been happening to me was very good for me. I was quite overtaken by success and fame. I was one of those types who responded to it in a negative way. It was not easy.”

People Way Young Found Easy Type Fame Happenings Negative Very Good

Author:Al Pacino

“"To be or not to be is" [by William Shakespeare] beyond anything I can comprehend. I understand it on a superficial level, but the depth of it just boggles my mind. I think it's probably the greatest of all speeches ever written.”

Thinking Mind I Can Levels Written Speech Depth Superficial Be Or Not To Be

Author:Al Pacino

“My movies are always being played on television, I'm very well known and all that stuff - I go all over the world, I have access to many things, many people, many places and it's wonderful. But now I'm at a point where...I thought it was time to show some of it, to show some of my feelings about things and what I preferred at the time. I prefer them still but not to the extent I did at the time.”

People World Wells Stills Shows Feelings Stuff Known Wonderful Television Access Well Known Being Played

Author:Al Pacino

“Everything changes with age. The parts change with age, your feelings about them change, roles that I would've wanted to play 10 years ago, I don't want to play now.”

Want Years Play Feelings Age Wanted Roles Years Ago Things Change

Author:Al Pacino

“I was watching Revolution, and the things I did in that picture, holy smokes! I can't believe I did that, it's like another person. It's the thought of it, it's just appalling to me.”

Believe Persons I Can Revolution Holy Smoke

Author:Al Pacino

“The physical stamina [in Revolution]. I was just shocked by it. I didn't think I had it in me ever, and I wasn't terribly young when I did it. I was in my early forties. That was the first thing I was struck by, not by the acting, not by anything else, but by the physicality.”

Thinking Firsts Young Acting Revolution Forty Shocked Stamina Physicality

Author:Al Pacino

“I'm much more a European Italian than I am an American Italian, and I've always felt that that style of acting comedy is in me. I put comedy as much as I can into all my movies, if I can help it.”

Ifs I Can Helping Felt Acting Comedy Style Italian

Author:Al Pacino

“It's easy to fool the eye but it's hard to fool the heart.”

Heart Hard Eye Easy Fool

Author:Al Pacino

“I don't need bodyguards. I'm from the South Bronx.”

Needs South Bodyguard Bronx

Author:Al Pacino

“I don't think actors should ever expect to get a role, because the disappointment is too great. You've got to think of things as an opportunity. An audition's an opportunity to have an audience.”

Thinking Should Actors Opportunity Roles Audience Disappointment Auditions

Author:Al Pacino

“My weaknesses... I wish I could come up with something. I'd probably have the same pause if you asked me what my strengths are. Maybe they're the same thing.”

Ifs Wish Weakness Come Up Pauses Euthanasia

Author:Al Pacino

“The problem with me is, I guess, the way I express myself, you have to be with me 50 years before you can get a sense of what I'm talking about.”

Way Years Problem Talking

Author:Al Pacino

“I'm an actor, not a star. Stars are people who live in Hollywood and have heart-shaped swimming pools.”

People Heart Actors Stars Hollywood Swimming Pool Swimming Pool

Author:Al Pacino

“I'm so shy now I wear sunglasses everywhere I go.”

Shy Sunglasses Dark Glasses

Author:Al Pacino

“Vanity is my favourite sin.”

Sin Vanity Favourite

Author:Al Pacino

“In America most everybody who's Italian is half Italian. Except me. I'm all Italian. I'm mostly Sicilian, and I have a little bit of Neapolitan in me. You get your full dose with me.”

Littles America Bits Half Little Bit Italian Dose Sicilian

Author:Al Pacino

“When I was younger, I would go to auditions to have the opportunity to audition, which would mean another chance to get up there and try out my stuff, or try out what I learned and see how it worked with an audience, because where are you gonna get an audience?”

Trying Mean Opportunity Stuff Chance Audience Get Up Auditions Another Chance

Author:Al Pacino

“Did you know I started out as a stand-up comic? People don't believe me when I tell them. That's how I saw myself, in comedy.”

People Knows Believe Saws Comedy Don't Believe Comic Believe In Me Did You Know

Author:Al Pacino

“The truth is, you know, we need our anodynes. You know that word, anodynes? We need that in life some times. A good warm bath can be one for you, or a whatever.”

Knows Needs Truth Is Warm Baths

Author:Al Pacino

“My first language was shy. It's only by having been thrust into the limelight that I have learned to cope with my shyness.”

Firsts Language Shy I Have Learned Thrust Shyness Limelight Being Shy

Author:Al Pacino

“Shakespeare's plays are more violent than 'Scarface.'”

Inspirational Play Violent Scarface Shakespeare's Plays

Author:Al Pacino

“The actor becomes an emotional athlete. The process is painful - my personal life suffers.”

Suffering Actors Process Acting Emotional Athlete Painful Personal Life

Author:Al Pacino

“When I was doing 'Scarface,' I remember being in love at that time. One of the few times in my life. And I was so glad it was at that time. I would come home and she would tell me about her life that day and all her problems and I remember saying to her, look, you really got me through this picture because I would shed everything when I came home.”

Looks Problem Home Remember Glad Coming Home Shed Being In Love Scarface

Author:Al Pacino

“Francis Ford Coppola did this early on. You tape a movie, like a radio show, and you have the narrator read all the stage directions. And then you go back like a few days later and then you listen to the movie. And it sort of plays in your mind like a film, like a first rough cut of a movie.”

Mind Firsts Play Shows Film Actors Cutting Stage Radio Movie Rough Tape Narrators Stage Directions

Author:Al Pacino

“I've never cared for guns. In fact, when I did 'Scent of a Woman' I had to learn how to assemble one.”

Facts Gun Scent

Author:Al Pacino

“There are a lot of roles in Shakespeare, basically. If I feel that the script is a movie, I would be interested in doing any role of Shakespeare's.”

Ifs Feels Would Be Actors Roles Scripts Movie

Author:Al Pacino

“When my mother got home from work, she would take me to the movies. It was her way of getting out, and she would take me with her. I'd go home and act all the parts. It had a tremendous influence on my becoming an actor.”

Way Home Mother Actors Influence Becoming Take Me

Author:Al Pacino

“You need some insecurity if you're an actor. It keeps the pot boiling. I haven't yet started to think about retiring. I was shocked when I heard about Paul Newman retiring at age 82. Most actors just fade away like old soldiers.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Age Actors Heard Havens Soldier Insecurity Retirement Pot Retiring Fades Shocked Fade Away Boiling Funny Retirement Newman Old Soldiers

Author:Al Pacino

“At this point in my career, I don't have to deal with audition rejections. So I get my rejection from other things. My children can make me feel rejected. They can humble you pretty quick.”

Feels Children Deals Careers Humble My Children Rejection Rejected Auditions

Author:Al Pacino

“The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you. You're in a conversation and everybody's agreeing with what you're saying - even if you say something totally crazy. You need people who can tell you what you don't want to hear.”

People Ifs Want Needs Nice Crazy Fame Conversation Hardest Hardest Thing Being Famous

Author:Al Pacino

“When I was a younger actor, I would try to keep it serious all day. But I have found, later on, that the lighter I am about things when I'm going to do a big scene that's dramatic and takes a lot out of you, the better off I am when I come to it.”

Trying Bigs Actors Found Serious Scene Dramatic Better Off Lighters

Author:Al Pacino

“All due respect and trying to be as modest as I can be, I am a dancer. But I don't think I would be on 'Dancing with the Stars,' mainly because I would be too shy.”

Thinking Trying I Can Would Be Stars Dancing Dues Dancer Shy Modest Dancing With The Stars

Author:Al Pacino

“I like, for instance, 'Serpico.' I enjoyed playing Serpico because Frank Serpico was there. He existed. He was a real life person and I could - I could embody him. I could, you know, I could work and get to know him and have him help me with the text, the script and become him. It's almost like a painter having a model to become.”

Knows Persons Real Helping Models Scripts Real Life Painter Instance Enjoyed Help Me Frank

Author:Al Pacino

“It surprised me, the feeling I got when I won the Oscar for 'Scent of a Woman.' It was a new feeling. I'd never felt it. I don't see my Oscar much now. But when I first got it, there was a feeling for weeks afterward that I guess is akin to winning a gold medal in the Olympics.”

Firsts Feelings Winning Felt Week Gold Olympics Oscars Scent Medal Gold Medals New Feelings

Author:Al Pacino

“My dad was in the army. World War II. He got his college education from the army. After World War II he became an insurance salesman. Really, I didn't know my dad very well. He and my mother split up after the war. I was raised by my maternal grandmother and grandfather, and by my mother.”

Knows World Wells War Mother College Dad Army Raised My Dad War Of The Worlds Grandmother World War Ii Splits Grandfather Salesman College Education

Author:Al Pacino

About the Author

Born: April 25, 1940
Known for: Film actor
Quotes: 197

Related Topics

Actors Way Ifs People Knows Play Acting Thinking Want Feels

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Al PacinoRelated source material

Sonny Boy: A MemoirRelated source material

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Meryl StreepBrowse related quotes
Michael CaineBrowse related quotes
Christopher WalkenBrowse related quotes
Jack NicholsonBrowse related quotes
Morgan FreemanBrowse related quotes
John C. ReillyBrowse related quotes
Christian BaleBrowse related quotes
Jeff BridgesBrowse related quotes