Al Pacino recalled during an interview the moment that led to his decision to get sober 40 years ago. People to promote his new memoir. My Son Child.
While Pacino struggled with addiction in his younger years, he became increasingly widely known for his roles. Godfather (1972), serpico (1973) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975). During this time, he gained a reputation for being seriously dedicated to his craft, while also avoiding events such as award ceremonies and interviews that are a must in the industry. What the public didn't realize was that Pacino was painfully shy in front of the camera and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with his newfound attention.
But when he started losing pieces of his memory, he knew it was time to stop. “I started forgetting things at a very young age,” Pacino said. “They were calling them fainting, so I was nervous.”
But the actor's road to sobriety was long and winding. “I went to AA for a while. It's a great place, but it wasn't for me,” Pacino admitted, then added that his mentor and friend Charlie Laughton was the one who steered him to the other side. The actor told Playboy He said he has been sober since 1977.
“It was a very powerful moment in my life,” Pacino said in a statement to the press. “I couldn't have done this without Charlie.” During a separate interview with Larry King, Pacino admitted that his love of booze surpassed his craft at one point.
“You know, I was reluctant to stop, but my great friend Charlie Laughton… he was really influential on me because he was my mentor, my closest friend,” Pacino told King. “To look at it for a while and ask me, because he had been off for about a year and I was continuing and he was pretty worried about me.”
“That helped me,” Pacino said. People This week.
Pacino uses his memoir to be equally candid about a number of personal milestones, such as his near-death experience from Covid-19. “I'm surprised I said some of the things I said,” he laughed.
My Son Child It will hit the shelves on October 15. You can pre-order your copy here.