‘You’ve Got to Reinvent’: Al Pacino   

Express News Service

How does the second season bring the story of Hunters to a close?

It takes the conspiracy theory of Hitler somehow having survived World War II, as our team of hunters gets back together to track him down in South America. It’s one last mission with a lot of drama and action. A lot of questions from the previous season get answered. It’s 10 great episodes that really
wrap up our story.

What made you want to play a Nazi hunter?

I just loved the script. There’s a kind of originality in this show, and it’s somewhat eccentric. It isn’t just a dry thing. There are a lot of elements that catch you off-guard and you can’t believe it, really.

Hunters is set in a dark reality, but there seems to be a lot of humour in the show as well. How does that combination work for a production like this?

Yes, and that’s part of what holds your interest because you never know when a joke is going to come. Sometimes, it was a joke that really appealed to me when I was reading the script. There was this element of things that are not what they seem, which caught my attention.

You’ve ruled the big screen for years. How was the experience working on what was your first role in a web series?

It’s a fresh environment, for one thing. Every two or three weeks, you get a new director. It’s a different adjustment, but because it’s such a strong story, the players are together. This was a wonderful experience and I can’t say that about all the things I’ve done.

After all these years, do you feel any nervousness before taking on a new role?

All the time. With every role you’re given a blank canvas and you just have to say, ‘Okay, how can I take this role and make something out of it?’ Sometimes it’s a little more daunting than others, but then you realise, without even knowing it, that you have a technique you can use.

What do you think makes a good actor?

It’s innate. It comes with the territory, I guess. I look at someone like Carry Grant and I’m just like, ‘Wow!’

He had a few attributes like looks and stuff, but he also had delivery, charisma and this persona that belonged to a certain era. Movie stars are different now. They’ve morphed into other things. Someone like George Clooney is closer to the one we were familiar with back then, but Leonardo Di Caprio, for example, is another kind of movie star. It’s all different now––more character acting.

What is the secret of your long and successful career?

You’ve got to reinvent. There’s also luck, and the fact that I still get excited about acting is a big factor.

You’ve had some great catchphrases throughout your career. What are the lines that you hear repeated the most by your fans?

There was a time when it was, ‘I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse’, but that’s dated now. It’s mainly the Scarface ones, which I find amazing because I did the film so long ago.

Is there another occupation you would have loved to have pursued, were it not for acting?

Music. I love the piano. Actually, there was a time  I thought I was maybe Beethoven reincarnated.
I found that by playing music, I was able to reflect on my inner life more and connect to it at a time when I was not getting that from my acting. It was really enjoyable, but I never went back to it. I lost all the music and poetry I wrote, all the recordings I taped. I lost it all, but even if I did have it, I wouldn’t show anyone, just like I wouldn’t show anyone my paintings because it would be embarrassing.

You don’t seem to have any intention of retiring. Is there anything you haven’t done, and would like to try?

I’m an actor. I just go where the parts are. It’s really fun to have something that you’re working on––a role, a painting ––that you never know how it’s going to turn out. That is exciting.

––Asia Features

<br /> How does the second season bring the story of Hunters to a close?</p> <p>It takes the conspiracy theory of Hitler somehow having survived World War II, as our team of hunters gets back together to track him down in South America. It’s one last mission with a lot of drama and action. A lot of questions from the previous season get answered. It’s 10 great episodes that really<br /> wrap up our story.</p> <p>What made you want to play a Nazi hunter?</p> <p>I just loved the script. There’s a kind of originality in this show, and it’s somewhat eccentric. It isn’t just a dry thing. There are a lot of elements that catch you off-guard and you can’t believe it, really.</p> <p>Hunters is set in a dark reality, but there seems to be a lot of humour in the show as well. How does that combination work for a production like this?</p> <p>Yes, and that’s part of what holds your interest because you never know when a joke is going to come. Sometimes, it was a joke that really appealed to me when I was reading the script. There was this element of things that are not what they seem, which caught my attention.</p> <p>You’ve ruled the big screen for years. How was the experience working on what was your first role in a web series?</p> <p>It’s a fresh environment, for one thing. Every two or three weeks, you get a new director. It’s a different adjustment, but because it’s such a strong story, the players are together. This was a wonderful experience and I can’t say that about all the things I’ve done.</p> <p>After all these years, do you feel any nervousness before taking on a new role?</p> <p>All the time. With every role you’re given a blank canvas and you just have to say, ‘Okay, how can I take this role and make something out of it?’ Sometimes it’s a little more daunting than others, but then you realise, without even knowing it, that you have a technique you can use.</p> <p>What do you think makes a good actor?</p> <p>It’s innate. It comes with the territory, I guess. I look at someone like Carry Grant and I’m just like, ‘Wow!’</p> <p>He had a few attributes like looks and stuff, but he also had delivery, charisma and this persona that belonged to a certain era. Movie stars are different now. They’ve morphed into other things. Someone like George Clooney is closer to the one we were familiar with back then, but Leonardo Di Caprio, for example, is another kind of movie star. It’s all different now––more character acting.</p> <p>What is the secret of your long and successful career?</p> <p>You’ve got to reinvent. There’s also luck, and the fact that I still get excited about acting is a big factor.</p> <p>You’ve had some great catchphrases throughout your career. What are the lines that you hear repeated the most by your fans?</p> <p>There was a time when it was, ‘I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse’, but that’s dated now. It’s mainly the Scarface ones, which I find amazing because I did the film so long ago.</p> <p>Is there another occupation you would have loved to have pursued, were it not for acting?</p> <p>Music. I love the piano. Actually, there was a time  I thought I was maybe Beethoven reincarnated.<br /> I found that by playing music, I was able to reflect on my inner life more and connect to it at a time when I was not getting that from my acting. It was really enjoyable, but I never went back to it. I lost all the music and poetry I wrote, all the recordings I taped. I lost it all, but even if I did have it, I wouldn’t show anyone, just like I wouldn’t show anyone my paintings because it would be embarrassing.</p> <p>You don’t seem to have any intention of retiring. Is there anything you haven’t done, and would like to try?</p> <p>I’m an actor. I just go where the parts are. It’s really fun to have something that you’re working on––a role, a painting ––that you never know how it’s going to turn out. That is exciting.</p> <p>––Asia Features</p> <p>