Al Pacino’s memoir Sonny Boy includes quite a few illuminating passages in which he discusses his creative process. The Great Method Actor is suspicious of the term. Immersing yourself in a role is what all good character actors do, but you obviously have to learn your craft first.
So he tells us about some of the things which work for him: “I never give away these kinds of secrets, but people like to know these things.”
That amusingly off-hand and slightly perplexed remark sums the book up. Pacino’s passion for his craft and vocation summersaults off the page with an almighty “Hoo-Ha!”, but he essentially sees himself as a dedicated jobbing actor who was lucky enough to become rich and famous.
Celebrity memoirs often reek of false humility, but Pacino really does come across as a shy, talented person who’s never felt comfortable with fame – hence why he’s never been the doyen of the chat show circuit. This book is his last word on whatever anyone might want to ask him about. Now he can be left alone in peace.
Sensitive, perceptive, self-aware and bright, he’s a generous living legend with no axe to grind who’s proud of his best work and honest about his failures.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the man who played Scarface has never once touched coke. It’s called acting, schmuck.
