Al Pacino on why Diane Keaton is a “great artist”
In addition to being one of the greatest actors in history, Al Pacino has worked with many other names who fall into that bracket, making him supremely qualified on what it takes to be counted as a “great artist” in the film business.
Across his illustrious career, the Academy Award-winning icon has shared the screen with Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and countless other top-tier performers, but there’s one in particular who holds a very special place in his heart.
Their relationship went far beyond the silver screen, too, and much like Pacino’s initial ascent to superstardom, it began with The Godfather. A star and career-making movie for many of its younger and more untested cast members, Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal crime classic first introduced the erstwhile Michael Corleone to Diane Keaton, who played his girlfriend and subsequently second wife in the trilogy.
It was only her third big screen credit, but by the end of the decade, Keaton was already established as one of the best around after winning an Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. The two instantly hit it off and began an on/off romantic relationship that would span almost two decades.
As Keaton explained to People, she was infatuated from the off. “I was mad for him,” she said, describing Pacino as “charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker.” Not only that but she was drawn to his free-spirited nature and the aura he exuded, which she referred to as being both “like a lost orphan” and “this kind of crazy idiot savant.”
They may not have stayed together, but the bond between the pair remained strong throughout the decades, with Pacino reflecting on how Keaton inspired him when she collected a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. He even turned her own advice against her, making it more of a full-circle moment than a mere anecdote plucked from the past.
“I remember leaving the house once, and I had an interview,” he said. “And she was very encouraging, helping me along, and as I was leaving, she called out to me, and said, ‘Al, you’re going to be OK. Just remember, whatever you do, don’t say you’re an artist.'”
Turning the tables, Pacino then proceeded to call Keaton “a great artist” in her own right, before signing off with a poignant, “I love you forever.” The two never worked together outside of The Godfather, but crossing paths on the timeless great of American cinema was more than enough to send the sparks flying, which ultimately blossomed into a deep-seated mutual appreciation that’s seen them support each other at every turn for over half a century.