Al Pacino was left so traumatised by fame he got therapy. The ‘Scarface’ actor, 84, became globally recognised after his portrayal of quiet soldier-turned bloodthirsty mafia don Michael Corleone in 85-year-old director Francis Ford Coppola’s operatic 1972 Cosa Nostra masterpiece ‘The Godfather’ – and he’s now admitted life in the spotlight led to him suffering the same feelings of discomfort one of his favourite writers experienced. He told presenter Dermot O’Leary, 51, on Saturday (26.
10.24) during an appearance on the host’s BBC Radio 2 show: “Jack Kerouac, the great writer – best generation writer who lived in the city – couldn’t cope with it and somebody said of him that he was embarrassed by success. “Fame embarrassed him.
So, I think I might have had a little of that in me, or something.” Al said about his mental torment leading to him skipping Academy Award ceremonies: “So I didn’t show up to a couple of the Oscars and I get a reputation – because they thought, somebody said, and my representation said, ‘Oh Pacino’s not going because he’s not the leading actor, he's a supporting actor for the Oscar.’.
“Can you imagine me saying, ‘I don't want to go because I should be up there with Brando?’ “It’s just not in my nature – it’s nowhere near it. And I knew that I didn’t want to go because it scared me, frankly..
. because feeling out of place is a strange feeling. “I mean not being able to function because you do.