Al Pacino admits financial struggles pushed him to agree to 'Godfather 3'

Al Pacino is opening up about why he took on The Godfather: Part III, and his reason is simple: he needed the money.

In his new memoir Sonny Boy, the 84-year-old actor revealed that financial struggles led him to sign on for the third instalment of Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic crime saga. "I was broke. Francis was broke. We both needed the bread," Pacino shared via People magazine.

While The Godfather: Part III holds a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, it was widely panned by critics, especially in comparison to its two legendary predecessors. Despite this, Pacino praised the original script by Coppola and Mario Puzo, calling it "phenomenal," particularly the ending. "A brilliant callback to the first Godfather, as Michael ends his life with one last lie to Kay," he wrote.

However, Pacino admitted that problems arose, including Robert Duvall's unexpected decision to drop out, which forced Coppola and Puzo to rewrite much of the story. "His absence from Part III was a big miss," Pacino wrote.

Reflecting on the film’s reception, Pacino believes the major criticism stemmed from Michael Corleone’s pursuit of redemption. "They wanted Michael to continue being Michael," Pacino noted.

But for him, Part III was about Michael's attempt to escape the emotional numbness of his past.