Michelle Pfeiffer landed Scarface role after cutting Al Pacino during audition: 'There's blood ev...

It's an unusual way to gain employment, but it worked for her. Michelle Pfeiffer landed Scarface role after cutting Al Pacino during audition: 'There's blood ev

It's an unusual way to gain employment, but it worked for her.

Michelle Pfeiffer landed Scarface role after cutting Al Pacino during audition: 'There's blood everywhere'

It's an unusual way to gain employment, but it worked for her.

By Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman is a writer at **, mostly covering nostalgia. He has been writing about entertainment since 2007.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 4, 2025 4:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Michelle Pfeiffer in 'Scarface'. Credit:

Universal Pictures

Brian De Palma's 1983 crime classic *Scarface *has plenty of blood on the screen, but Michelle Pfeiffer says there was no shortage of violent mayhem before production even started.

The *Batman Returns *and *Age of Innocence *actress was a guest on the *SmartLess *podcast, and chatted up cohosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes about her lengthy career which, naturally, included one of her earliest big roles, the part of Elvira in *Scarface*.

Pfeiffer explained that though De Palma was keen on hiring her early on, Al Pacino was not exactly sold.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino in 'Scarface'. Everett

"Al will admit this," she explained, "[but] he didn't really want me for the part."

Pfeiffer then detailed the lengthy auditioning process that happened before she finally landed the role.

She said that in her first meeting with just De Palma and the casting director, she killed it, but "over the course of two months, I just [got] worse and worse and worse, because I'm just *afraid*. And by the end, I'm bad."

She went on, "[So] I don't blame him. He just was like, '[She's] bad.' And Brian finally comes to me and says, 'You know, doll, it's just not gonna work out. I'm like, 'I know, man. I'm sorry.' Because Brian really wanted me."

Danny DeVito 'lusted after' Michelle Pfeiffer on set of 'Batman Returns'

'Scarface': Giorgio Moroder's new remix of 'Tony's Theme'

But fate wasn't through with her. "As disappointed as I was," she said, "I was so happy to be done with it. So, like, at least a month goes by and I get a call, they want to bring me in to screen test. So I show up and I don't even give a sh--, 'cause I know I'm not getting this part."

Pfeiffer then explained that "it was my best work of the film."

Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino at a 'Scarface' cast reunion in 2018.

Theo Wargo/Getty

She shared that it was "that restaurant scene where I explode at the end." (We're assuming you've seen *Scarface* by now.)

She continued, "I swipe the table of the dishes and glasses break, the dishes break, cut. There's blood everywhere. They all run over to me, to see where I've cut myself. Well, didn't cut *me*. I cut Al."

Pfeiffer said, "I thought, 'Well, there goes *that* part.' [But] actually I think that was the day [Pacino] was like, 'Yeah, yeah. I think, yeah, she's not bad.'"

Michelle Pfeiffer at a 'Scarface' reunion in 2018.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

In conclusion, the best way to gain employment in Hollywood is to injure whoever is top of the call sheet. If it worked for Michelle Pfeiffer, it'll probably work for you, too.

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

If that story hasn't motivated you enough, here's the "everything is going our way/nothing will ever come back and bite us in the rear" montage from *Scarface, *set to a Giorgio Moroder tune.

To check out more of Michelle Pfeiffer on *SmartLess*, you can click the link below.**

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

Read More

---

Source: ShowBiz MAG

Full Article on Source: ShowBiz MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities