Al Pacino is no stranger to dramatic moments, but one of the most painful scenes of his life played out long before his Hollywood fame—and it happened in the most ‘embarrassing’ way as he describes. In his new memoir Sonny Boy, the legendary actor reveals a childhood misstep that left him quite literally caught in a tough spot and it was something that still ‘haunts’ him.
Al Pacino reveals his ‘childhood’ trauma
In his new book, the Oscar-winning star describes an incident from when he was just 10 years old. On a rainy day, he was walking along a thin iron fence, caught up in his own “dance world,” when he suddenly slipped, and the iron bar caused a painful injury. “I was walking on a thin, iron fence, doing my tightrope dance. It had been raining all morning, and sure enough, I slipped and fell, and the iron bar hit me directly between my legs,” he recalls. “one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life,” he labeled it.
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The Godfather star, thankfully, escaped the incident without permanent physical harm. However, the psychological trauma of the event continues to “haunt him.” he even described himself as a “cat with many more than nine lives.”
Pacino describes his ‘ability’ to cheat death
Pacino vividly recalls being doubled over in intense pain, unable to walk home. Fortunately, an older man noticed his distress and carried him to his aunt’s house, where a doctor was called.
“I was lying on the bed with my pants around my ankles while the three most important women in my life—my mother, aunt, and grandmother—frantically inspected my injury,” he writes. “I remember thinking, ‘God, please take me now,’ as they whispered to each other, trying to assess the damage.” He admits that even today, the memory still makes him feel uneasy.
Pacino describes himself as being on a constant hunt for mischief, so much so that he could hardly keep track. In the first chapter of Sonny Boy, he called the incident “one of the most embarrassing experiences” of his life, while also discussing his knack for “cheating death on a regular basis.”
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About Al Pacino’s Sonny Boy
In his new memoir, the Hollywood star opens up about his life, sharing that he felt it was time to share his story. In Sonny Boy, Al Pacino narrates a mix of personal stories, from his mother’s suicide attempt to the wild antics he got up to in New York City.
He recalled the rare moments when his divorced parents were together and described his youthful escapades, like stealing food and jumping subway turnstiles with friends. “Getting into trouble and avoiding authority figures was our favorite pastime,” he writes with a hint of nostalgia. Despite his incredible success in Hollywood, Pacino is honest about the personal sacrifices he made along the way, including his struggles with drugs and alcohol.