Al Pacino Reveals the Stage Role He Considers a Masterpiece, and It Isn’t Michael Corleone

Al Pacino has left such a deep mark on Hollywood that it’s hard to picture anyone else in his most famous roles. Michael Corleone, Tony Montana and Sonny Wortzik have become inseparable from the actor, even though he was up against some of the biggest names of the era for several of those parts.

Few casting stories are as well known as the one behind ‘The Godfather.’ Pacino wrote in his memoir ‘Sonny Boy’ that Paramount questioned whether he was the right actor, and the studio reportedly wanted names like Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford or Warren Beatty. Director Francis Ford Coppola kept fighting for him, and the decision paid off, turning an unproven actor into one of the most celebrated performers in film history.

From there, he piled up Oscar nominations with ‘Serpico’ and ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ later winning Best Actor for ‘Scent of a Woman.’ So when Far Out Magazine reported on Pacino’s reflections about the high point of his career, the answer surprised many readers. It wasn’t a gangster, a cop or a bank robber, but a role on the stage.

According to Far Out, the production Pacino singled out was David Rabe’s ‘The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel,’ which he starred in during 1977. Set during the Vietnam War, the play follows an unlucky man going through the harsh realities of basic military training who is so determined to become a soldier that it ends up costing him his life.

The headline framing deserves a little nuance. What Pacino actually described, as relayed by the outlet, is that he was at the height of his film fame when he did the play, and that this fame drew audiences into the theater. He called the play a masterpiece and said he hopes to see it staged again.

He also noted that audiences left talking about the story rather than about him. For an actor as famous as Pacino, that seems to be exactly the point.

The performance was not a footnote. Pacino won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for ‘The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel,’ adding to the Tony he earned earlier in his career for ‘Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?’ Together with his Oscar and Emmys, those wins make up the so-called Triple Crown of Acting.

The material has a long history with him, too. A Harvard Crimson review from April 1972 of an earlier staging called the play a contemporary masterpiece and praised Pacino’s performance, which came shortly after his breakout in ‘The Godfather.’

That fits with how he has talked about the stage for years. Pacino has long been described as someone who considers theater his first love, and he has returned to it repeatedly between film projects.

Pacino’s answers to career questions tend to shift depending on who is asking. At a screening marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ he reportedly named Tony Montana in ‘Scarface’ as his favorite role and Big Boy Caprice in ‘Dick Tracy’ as the most fun to play. Over the years he has also called Michael Corleone his most difficult part.

In a 2024 episode of the podcast ‘The Interview,’ he also reflected that his most inspired work came earlier in life, when he felt free and wasn’t sure what he was doing. That sentiment lines up neatly with a stage role from the middle of his career, when his instincts and his ambition were both running hot.

Taken together, the comments paint a picture of an actor who values the experience of the work more than the size of the screen. A play that people remember for its story, rather than its star, may be the perfect example.

Pacino is not done, either. His upcoming credits include ‘Killing Castro,’ in which he plays Robert Maheu, so there is still time for new roles to enter the debate.

For now, the revelation gives fans a fresh way to think about a career that is usually summarized by three or four famous gangster films. The cinematic icons may have made him a legend, but it seems a Vietnam-era play is the one he is still waiting to see done again.

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