In his memoir, Sonny Boy, Al Pacino has revealed the reasons he turned down the opportunity to star alongside music icon Bob Dylan in the 1973 Western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, a decision he attributes to health concerns and a practical aversion to riding horses.
The role of Billy the Kid was offered to Pacino at a pivotal time, shortly after his breakout performance in The Godfather. While intrigued by the prospect of working with acclaimed director Sam Peckinpah and Dylan, Pacino ultimately passed on the film. The decision proved fortuitous, as the project was notoriously troubled.
The film’s production was plagued by creative clashes between Peckinpah and the studio, MGM. Tensions escalated when MGM executive James Aubrey drastically cut the film’s runtime against the director’s wishes, while Peckinpah’s struggles with alcoholism further complicated the shoot. Though it produced Dylan’s classic song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” the movie was a critical and commercial failure upon release.
In his memoir, Pacino explains his thought process: “They offered me the role of Billy the Kid in Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. I loved Peckinpah. One of the greatest directors ever. Could you imagine doing a movie and getting to act with Bob Dylan? And who wouldn’t want to play Billy the Kid?”
Despite his enthusiasm, Pacino had reservations. “I thought, I’m not getting on any horses. They’re too big,” he wrote. “I’ll be down in Mexico with Peckinpah, and I’ll probably die of alcohol poisoning because I’d be around it so much. And I passed on it.”
By declining the part, which ultimately went to Kris Kristofferson, Pacino was free to star in two critically acclaimed films that same year, Scarecrow and Serpico, further cementing his status as one of Hollywood’s leading actors.
