- Michelle Pfeiffer revealed she accidentally injured Al Pacino during her final screen test for the 1983 classic, Scarface.
- Pacino was initially skeptical of casting Pfeiffer, and her performance had worsened over a two-month audition process.
- Director Brian De Palma, who wanted Pfeiffer for the part, had nearly given up on her, telling the actress it wasn’t going to work out.
- The accidental injury, which left “blood everywhere,” is what Pfeiffer believes ultimately convinced Pacino she was perfect for the role of Elvira Hancock.
The Audition That Almost Wasn’t
Michelle Pfeiffer recently shared the wild story of her chaotic audition for Scarface, revealing a moment of accidental violence may have been the key to landing her career-defining role. Speaking on the SmartLess podcast, the actress explained that while director Brian De Palma was an early supporter, star Al Pacino was not convinced.
“Al will admit this,” she said, “[but] he didn’t really want me for the part.”
From Bad to Worse
Pfeiffer recalled that her initial auditions went well, but the pressure mounted over two long months. “I just [got] worse and worse and worse, because I’m just afraid. And by the end, I’m bad,” she admitted. The situation became so dire that De Palma eventually told her, “You know, doll, it’s just not gonna work out.”
Disappointed but relieved to be done with the stressful process, Pfeiffer moved on. However, a month later, she received an unexpected call for one final screen test.
A Bloody Turning Point
For her final shot, Pfeiffer performed the explosive restaurant scene. Believing she had no chance of getting the part, she let go of her inhibitions. “I swipe the table of the dishes and glasses break, the dishes break, cut,” she recounted. In the chaos, a shard of glass flew and cut Pacino.
“There’s blood everywhere,” Pfeiffer said. “They all run over to me, to see where I’ve cut myself. Well, I didn’t cut me. I cut Al.”
While she initially thought the accident had sealed her fate negatively (“Well, there goes that part”), it had the opposite effect. According to Pfeiffer, that bloody moment was the turning point. “Actually I think that was the day [Pacino] was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. I think, yeah, she’s not bad,'” she concluded. From that day forward, she became Elvira Hancock, and the rest is movie history.
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