Legendary actor Al Pacino has never been afraid to walk his own path, and that includes passing on ‘Star Wars’, what would become one of the biggest film franchises in cinematic history.

In a recent conversation, the Oscar-winning star candidly revealed that he once turned down a role in ‘Star Wars’—yes, ‘that’ ‘Star Wars’. At the time, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola were still in the early stages of making a name for themselves, and their San Francisco-based company, American Zoetrope, was buzzing with potential.

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But when they handed Al Pacino the ‘Star Wars’ script, he just didn’t connect with it.

“I remember thinking. ‘What is this? I don’t get it,’” Pacino recalled. “I sent it to my mentor Charlie Laughton, hoping he’d see something I missed. But he didn’t get it either. And I thought, if I can’t understand the character or the world, how do I play it?”

He added with a laugh, “They were offering me a fortune. But I said, ‘I think I’m in the mood to make Harrison Ford a career.’”

Pacino, who would soon skyrocket to fame as Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather’, visited the Zoetrope office before signing on with Coppola for that now-iconic role.

“They were idealists,” he said. “Young filmmakers trying to reshape the industry. It was inspiring.”

Though he skipped the galaxy far, far away, Pacino isn’t done taking big swings. He’s now going to appear in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’, a hostage thriller helmed by acclaimed director Gus Van Sant.

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The film, based on true events, centers on a dramatic 1977 standoff that made international headlines. It tells the story of Tony Kiritsis, a man who stormed into a mortgage company office, wired a sawed-off shotgun to his own neck, and took the company’s president hostage. Kiritsis demanded $5 million, legal immunity, and an apology, believing they cheated him out of money.

Austin Kolodney wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes heavyweights like Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Myha’la, Cary Elwes, and Colman Domingo.

Van Sant, known for films like ‘Good Will Hunting’ and ‘Milk’, brings his signature tension and human depth to the project. For Pacino, who most recently appeared in ‘Knox Goes Away’, this new role marks another intense, character-driven turn that dives into the psychology of desperation and justice.

From almost playing a space smuggler to portraying a man navigating the edge of morality and madness, Pacino’s career continues to be full of surprises.

“I’ve always followed the story,” he said. “If it speaks to me, I’ll do it. If it doesn’t—no matter how big the offer—I walk away.”