The first time legendary actor Al Pacino met Jared Leto – who plays his son in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci – on set, he thought he was “just an Italian weirdo that was trying to get his autograph or something.” Leto is famously unrecognisable in the film, due to the heavy amount of make up and prosthetics he dons to play Paolo Gucci.
However, they would go onto enjoy their working relationship so much that Leto is reportedly hoping to make a prequel about Paolo and Aldo Gucci (Pacino’s character).
House of Gucci is a true crime thriller movie that spans the 1970s-1990s and tells the story of Patrizia (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio (Adam Driver) Gucci’s love affair and marriage before their eventual divorce and things between them becoming deadly. Pacino, Leto and Jeremy Irons play other members of the famous fashion family.
Speaking to Sirius XM, Leto recounted meeting Pacino at the start of filming. “On the first day on set, [Pacino] didn’t know it was me, and I came up to him and said, you know, “hello.” And he just kind of brushed me off. He thought I was just an Italian weirdo that was trying to talk to him or get his autograph or something.”
He continued; “I come up to him two or three times and someone finally whispered, “That’s Paolo, that’s Jared under there.” And he was like, “My son, my son,” and he fell to the floor. He was just astounded. Having that happen with one of the world’s greatest actors was a beautiful gift and gave me the faith that if Al can believe in this guy, then we all can. It was a boost of confidence early on, and I adored working with him.”
You can watch the interview here;
Leto’s comments while promoting the movie have also had mixed reactions; “I was snorting lines of arrabbiata sauce by the middle of this movie. I had olive oil for blood. This was a deep dive I did. If you took a biopsy of my skin, it would come back as parmesan cheese! This is my love letter to Italy.”
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