10 Movie Auditions That Changed Cinema Forever

It's baffling to consider today, but Paramount executives really didn't want to cast Al Pacino in The Godfather, no matter that he was director Francis Ford Coppola's first choice to play Michael Corleone.

But Pacino was allowed to audition for the part alongside numerous other actors the studio had their sights on - including Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, and Ryan O'Neal - and made enough of an impression that Coppola ended up getting his way.

And with that successful audition, one of the biggest screen icons in cinema history was born. 

Sure, Pacino already had plaudits to his name for his role in The Panic in Needle Park the year prior, but The Godfather brought him global acclaim and visibility, as well as a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

Pacino's career immediately surged, quickly establishing him as one of the greatest actors to emerge from the New Hollywood era, with his intense acting style proving hugely influential on generations of young actors who followed him.