Pacino has had figures that he admired and who gave him key teachings for dramatic art.
Al Pacino is one of the great actors in Hollywood, having been part of great works such as Scarface, Scent of a Woman, The Godfather, and more. Although he has been an influence and teacher for new generations of performers, Pacino has also had figures that he admired and who gave him key teachings for dramatic art.
In an interview with The New York Times, the actor spoke of the great influence that John Cazale had, who died in 1978 and never achieved recognition like Pacino's. Although his film career was brief, he was part of great titles such as The Godfather Saga and Dog Day Afternoon, where he acted with Pacino. Thus, he decided to give him great recognition: "John Cazale, in general, was one of the great actors of our time, of that time and of any time."
He went on to say, "I learned a lot from him. I've done a lot of theater and three movies with him. He was very inspiring and he didn't get credit for any of the plays. He was in five movies, all nominated for an Oscar, and he was spectacular in all of them. He was particularly great in The Godfather Part II, and I don't think he got that recognition."
Finally, he spoke of the specific teaching he obtained from having worked alongside Cazale on various occasions: "He had a great sense of reality. John was the actor who became what he was playing... It was fabulous to see, it was a lesson in itself. I think I learned more about acting from John than from anyone...John grew into a role and became more and more of it, and he never stopped. It was endless. That's what he taught me, that it's never over.
