Al Pacino is looking back, reflecting on his legacy, and looking ahead.
The Scarface actor, 84, just released his first memoir, Sonny Boy, this week, in which he recounts and opens up about his life story, from his childhood in New York to becoming the legend he is today.
The memoir also includes reflections on becoming a father last year, to son Roman, who is one, and who he welcomed with 30-year-old film producer Noor Alfallah.
Speaking with the New York Times in honor of the book, and about writing about Roman, he shared he was still not even a year old when he "was musing about him," about him for the book, though added: "He's come into the world a little more now. He's learning things."
He noted that giving little Roman something tangible to learn about his dad is "of course" one of the reasons he wrote the book, and further said: "That has been a campaign for me to stick around a little longer if it’s possible."
Asked whether having had a child at his age was perhaps "a reaction to the recognition of your own mortality," he reflected: "When I saw the little baby there and the way he was just — you look at it differently now. You look at it like, what is this? This is so amazing!"
© GothamHe went on: "That's why I was so excited by hearing the Big Bang. Because I thought, I'm not gonna die! [Laughs.] I don't mean literally. I mean spiritually. There's something out there that's bigger than us! You can't say 'better,' because you don't really know, but something's out there going on that's more than we understand."
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Back in 2020, Pacino had a near-death experience with Covid-19 — "They said my pulse was gone," he told the Times — and he admits going through the aging process has been somewhat confounding.
© Getty"I don't know what the hell aging is. It seems absurd and crazy," he frankly admitted, and further shared: "I sometimes think, 'Why can't I find some steroids that won't kill me?' I took some when I had bad Covid."
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© GettyLooking back on the terrifying experience, he added: "It was so — you're here, you’re not. I thought: Wow, you don't even have your memories. You have nothing. Strange porridge."
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© GettyThough Pacino has never married, in addition to Roman, he is a dad to three adult children. He first became a dad when he was 49 years old in 1989 and welcomed daughter Julie Marie, 35, with acting coach Jan Tarrant.
He later welcomed twins Anton and Olivia, 23, with actress Beverly D'Angelo, with whom he was with from 1997 to 2003.
