Robert De Niro Almost Took Al Pacino's 'Scarface' Role

It is really hard to imagine “Scarface” without Al Pacino’s iconic portrayal of gangster Tony Montana, but the cast of the movie could have looked a lot different if he would not have said yes to the film.

Speaking in an interview with GQ, the 76-year-old actor Robert De Niro confessed that if Pacino would not have said yes to the epic gangster movie, he would have surely taken the role of the iconic gangster in the cult classic.

De Niro, who was accompanied by Pacino during the interview, shared an instance where both men discussed the film. The “Taxi Driver” actor noted that both the actors were walking on the street one night and De Niro told Pacino that he should definitely say “yes” to it,or else he is going to take away the role from him.

“We were talking about ‘Scarface,’ and I was saying ‘You should really do it with Brian [De Palma],’ of the choices that you had. And I said, ‘If you don’t do it, I am going to do it,’” De Niro said.

Pacino then explained De Niro’s remarks and noted that Martin Scorsese and the “Joker” actor were also trying to team up together for their own remake of the original “Scarface,” which released in 1932.

Later in the interview, the “Scent of a Woman” star admitted that he enjoys being part of the bad film just to see how his acting skills can make the film better. The star also noted that this has become a habit for him and he really loves these kinds of challenges.

“You know what? I may be falling into a bad habit now. I think I am starting to get a little perverse. I am starting to want to do films that aren’t really very good and try to make them better,” Pacino said.

Both the actors are busy promoting their upcoming movie “The Irishman.” Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie revolves around a real-life gangster named Frank Sheeran, who reflects on his career of a hitman and the role he played in the disappearance of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa.

Speaking about De Niro and Pacino’s performance in the movie, Scorsese noted that the movie highlights their “relationship as actors” and as “friends” over the past 44 years.

“There’s something magical that happens there,” Scorsese said.

The film has also garnered universal acclaim and currently has a 96 percent score on review site Rotten Tomatoes. The critics have highlighted the performances of De Niro and Pacino as extraordinary.

The “Scent of a Woman” star has already received the Hollywood Supporting Actor Award for his performance as Jimmy Hoffa in Scorsese’s epic gangster movie and is considered to be one of the top contenders for a Best Supporting Actor nod at the 92nd Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the “Raging Bull” star is expected to earn his 8th Best Actor nod for his portrayal of gangster Frank Sheeran.

It also stars Joe Pesci, Ray Romano and Anna Paquin in supporting roles.

The film will be streaming live on Netflix on Nov. 27, 2019.