(Credits: Far Out/Theatre Company of Boston/Alami)
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 20:15, United Kingdom
As an actor, you will give you some opportunities that others have, such as working with artists you really appreciate.
While some people pay hundreds of people to see their favorite celebrities in the flesh, when you become famous you may find yourself sharing screens with them and suddenly spending a project together every day.
The idea of working with Bob Dylan is almost too good to come true for Al Pacino, but in a moment of respectful professionalism, the actor rejects the opportunity to star with the iconic folk singer for practical reasons. But Pacino seems to have made the right decision because of the film, Pat Garrett and Billyis a notorious failure.
While it did produce Dylan’s excellent soundtrack, including his classic hit “Knocking the Door,” Sam Peckinpah’s film was screened by critics, although the release of the cut is far from the director’s idea. It's a nervous work, which is damaging by the divergence between the iconic filmmaker and MGM (including runtime). MGM chief James Aubrey was frustrated by Peckinpah's attempt to take things into his own hands, reducing the film to a shorter length.
The project, along with Dylan, starred in stars like James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Katy Jurado, was a disaster, and Peckinpah's alcoholism only made shooting more difficult. The film, released in 1973, appeared at the beginning of Pacino's career, not long after godfatherso the actors obviously made the right decision because they missed the movie and instead appeared in the well-received scarecrow and Serpico That year.
So, why did Pacino reject the role? Although he is passionate about working with Dylan, Pacino knows that he has to take care of his health at a critical stage in his emerging Hollywood career. Then, he doesn't want to ride a horse.
In his memoirs Sonny BoyThe actor wrote: “They provided me with the role of Sam Peckinpah's child Billy the Kid Pat Garrett and child Billy. I love Peckinpah. One of the greatest directors of all time. Can you imagine making a movie and working with Bob Dylan? Who doesn't want to play the role of child Billy? I thought that was something I could do. Then I read the script, I want to do some rewrites, correct the script with Peckinpah, which is how I usually work with directors. All I can see is it. ”
He added: “I thought, I wasn't riding a horse. They were too big. I would be in Mexico with Pekinpa and I could die of alcoholism because I would be around so much. I passed it.”
Instead, musician and actor Kristofferson took over part of the child Billy the Kid, though fascinating, imagine what the character of Pacino might look like. Maybe the movie is different for Pacino. However, the film seems doomed to fail because MGM has affected the behind-the-scenes issues of the project.
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