The legendary Al Pacino is here to spill the beans about a time when he went from “Say hello to my little friend!” to “Say goodbye to my little money!” in his new memoir, Sonny Boy. That’s right, our favorite mobster turned thrifty grandpa is opening up about his financial escapades, which are as wild as any of his movies!
So, picture this: it’s 2011, and Al’s accountant—who was apparently a bit more “Scarface” and a lot less “good guy”—was playing fast and loose with his millions. “Oh, sure, I handle celebrity finances!” the accountant probably said while rolling around in a pile of cash like Scrooge McDuck. But as Al soon learned, this financial wizard was less ‘Gandalf’ and more ‘Gandalf the Grey-ly Mismanaged.’
Al recalls receiving a series of “friendly” warnings about his not-so-trustworthy bean counter. “It was like getting a text from my mom saying, ‘Honey, I think your accountant is a crook.’” And, as any good actor knows, when your money starts disappearing faster than a magician’s rabbit, it’s time for a script rewrite!
As Al put it, “When you make $10 million for a movie, you think you’re rolling in dough. But after all the agents, lawyers, and publicists get their paws on it—poof! It’s like watching your favorite pizza slice vanish right before your eyes. You end up with a measly $4.5 million, and that’s before you even try to buy a new suit for the next film.”
He continued with a flair only Al could muster, “I was living large, high on the hog—like a pig with a gold card! And then suddenly, bam! Time froze, and I thought, ‘Oh boy, I am f—ked!’” Talk about an existential crisis worthy of an Oscar!
So, what’s a world-famous actor to do when the bank account hits rock bottom? Start auditioning for anything that pays better than a hot dog stand! Enter: Jack and Jill. “I did it because I didn’t have anything else,” Al confessed. “Adam Sandler wanted me, and they threw a truckload of cash at me. So, naturally, I said yes!”
And who could resist working with Adam? He’s like the best friend you never knew you needed. “We became like peanut butter and jelly—if jelly had a penchant for goofy humor and wearing sneakers with tuxedos,” Al mused.
But even after Jack and Jill, Al faced the harsh reality of Hollywood: he was no longer the spring chicken raking in the big bucks. “I mean, I was still Al Pacino, but the scripts weren’t exactly falling from the sky like rain in a rom-com,” he lamented. “The pendulum had swung, and suddenly I felt like the old guy trying to play hopscotch at a kid’s party.”
Yet Al isn’t out of the game yet! He’s been hopping from film to film like a pro. After Jack and Jill, he graced our screens in Stand Up Guys, Misconduct, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, House of Gucci, and the series Hunters. Rumor has it he’s got even more projects brewing, like a cinematic witch’s cauldron!
Al Pacino, the Hollywood legend who taught us that losing millions can lead to new friendships, wacky adventures, and a life story that’s just as entertaining as his films. Cheers to that, Al! Now let’s hope your next accountant is more “Godfather” and less “Godfather of all my money gone!”
