Al PacinoandDustin Hoffmancouldn’t do much in the 1970s without being compared to one another.
“Pauline Kael, the renowned movie critic, used to say that I was influenced by Dustin Hoffman.
It didn’t stop there.
Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
But theScarfacestar was under no illusion about how he would fare.
“I said to Cohen, ‘Let me just tell you straight out: Dustin will beat me.
He’ll knock me out,'” he wrote.
Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman in the 1970s.Art Zelin/Getty; Tom Wargacki/WireImage
But then I got a little worried.
S—, what if she wins?
Luckily, the fight never got off the ground.”
Like Pacino, his second-ever film marked his breakthrough.
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Art Zelin/Getty; Tom Wargacki/WireImage
Despite the ginned-up rivalry, Pacino glows with admiration when writing about Hoffman.
Pacino remembers meeting Hoffman once, and coming away from the encounter inspired.
The pair’s careers would continue to mirror each other as time went by.
Pacino’s memoir,Sonny Boy, is available now.
