Al Pacino says the pressures of fame left him ‘feeling out of place’ and made him seek therapy – as he reveals the REAL reason he skipped the Oscars

Al Pacino has opened up about the challenges of fame, revealing that it once led him to seek therapy.

The celebrated actor, 84, won an Oscar for his role as a blind veteran in 1992’s Scent Of A Woman and eight additional nominations for his acting.

But despite his enormous success, the star has always found fame a source of discomfort and unease.

Speaking to Dermot O’Leary on his BBC 2 radio show, the Oscar-winning actor said: ‘Jack Kerouac, the great writer, the greatest generation of writer who lived in the city, couldn’t deal with it and someone said that about him he was ashamed of the success.

‘Fame embarrassed him. So I guess maybe I had a little bit of that in me or something.

The acclaimed actor won an Oscar for his role as a blind veteran in Scent Of A Woman and eight additional nominations for his acting (Pacino is pictured dancing the famous tango with Gabrielle Anwar in 1992’s Scent of a Woman)

‘So I didn’t show up to a couple of Oscars and I got a reputation – because they thought, someone said and my rep said, “Oh Pacino’s not going because he’s not the lead, he’s a supporting actor for the Oscar.” ….”

“Can you imagine me saying, ‘I don’t want to go because I should be up there with Brando’? [laughs] It’s just not in my nature, it’s not even close. And I knew I didn’t want to go because, honestly, it scared me.

“I was working in theater in Boston and I was scared.”

Elaborating on the issue, he continued, “Because feeling out of place is a strange feeling. I mean you can’t function because you don’t know the language. In a way, it’s a precarious place to be in.

“And I’ve had it happen a few times because I was really famous and I didn’t even know it.

“And then I started experiencing it before I was even nominated for an Oscar. And I remember I won the prize, a great prize, and I was in Boston doing a play, and I was staying at the director’s house, he gave me a room in his house, and I remember that I woke up and said, “You won the National Board of Review Award for your acting in The Godfather,” and I remember saying to him at the time, “Wow, that sure is cool.”

“I said, ‘Do you know a psychiatrist I can see?’ Straight from my mouth, because that’s the condition I was in!”

The Oscar winner has had an extensive career, with award-winning films such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather to his name, but previously admitted he enjoyed the work more when he was younger.

The Oscar winner has had an extensive career, with award-winning films such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather to his name, but the actor admits he enjoyed the work more when he was younger (Photo: Al Pacino in scar face)

“When I make movies, I’m usually not very happy,” he told NYT Magazine. “They can be annoying, but you can go to your RV and do whatever you want.”

So how exactly does an award-winning actor spend his time in his trailer on set? Watch YouTube and TikToks, just like everyone else of course!

There are so many things on YouTube,” he said. “I even like TikTok when I see it.”

He especially enjoys watching videos about rescue dogs and recently saw a video about a deaf girl who regained her hearing.

“I love that stuff!” he told the magazine.

As for his next role, the actor is gearing up to play Shakespeare’s King Lear. He was seen in Los Angeles in September in royal attire.

He also recently helped celebrate his 30-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah’s birthday at a star-studded bash.

In an Instagram video of Noor’s 30th celebration shared on Thursday, the couple – who welcomed their son Roman in 2023 – looked defeated as the Oscar-winning actor helped her blow out the candles on her cake.

Pacino has four children, while his other three children are adults.

He shares daughter Julie Marie with ex Jan Tarrant, and twins Anton and Olivia with ex Beverly D’Angelo.