10 Actors Who Were Almost Fired From Famous Roles

8. The Studio Didn't Believe Al Pacino Was Right For The Godfather & Almost Fired Him

When the dust settles and cinema is viewed as an crude and ancient art form, Al Pacino's performance in The Godfather (and its sequel) will still probably go down as one of the greatest things ever.

Pacino's haunting take of a once good man, Michael Corleone, pulled into his family's criminal organisation and made to ensure its legacy, is a masterclass of brilliant nuance and tragedy; Pacino is the glue that holds Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece together - The Godfather isn't The Godfather without him.

It seems crazy to think that Paramount had such little faith in Pacino, however, that they actively set out to recast him whilst Coppola was shooting the first film, convinced he was wrong for the part. Whilst Pacino saw Michael as a quieter, more understated man, the studio had imagined him as more of a hardened gangster.

Then came the scene that made Paramount change their mind; the one where Michael goes to the bathroom, collects a gun, and comes back to shoot rival mobster Sollozzo in Louis' restaurant. It was at this point that the studio finally saw what Pacino was trying to do. Just in time, too; they were on the brink of sending him packing.