Pacino On Gigli



(image via popartuk)

The French word for ham is le jambon; in America, we call it Al Pacino. A Pacino performance can be such a scenery chewing hammy experience ("Scarface," "Scent of a Woman") or, conversely, "intense" (Donny Brasco," "Looking for Richard"). Three years may have passed, but Al Pacino is still desperately trying to distance himself from his cameo role as something called "Starkman (Averted Gaze)" in the mother of all disasters, "Gigli (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)". From the October 2006 Hollywood Life:

HollywoodLife: Did you appear in a cameo in the J.Lo/ Ben Affleck disaster Gigli as a favor to Martin Brest, who directed you in Scent of a Woman?

Pacino: Not exactly. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for having a history with Marty, but I felt he wrote some nice stuff and I thought I'd try to do something with the character. I didn't think I caught any flavor at all. They wanted to increase the part and have me go back for more takes, but I thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie."

Good instincts, Al; you're our favorite ham. Now if only you can turn down the le jambon factor exhibited most recently in "The Devil's Advocate."