‘They’re Going to Hate It In Hollywood’: Al Pacino Reveals Shocking Truth About Hip-Hop Saving ‘Scarface’ from Becoming a Failure

Oscar winner Al Pacino’s portrayal of Tony Montana in “Scarface” has left an indelible mark on the movie industry, but the 1983 film’s journey from critical skepticism to cult classic is largely thanks to an unexpected audience: the hip-hop community. While promoting his new book, “Sonny Boy,” the Manhattan native appeared on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast and shared how that one movie is uniquely threaded in rap culture. Whether it is from basic mentions to some of his own dialogue from the film being sampled, “Scarface” is heavily mentioned and referred to in rap and hip-hop lyrics. Al Pacino says the hip-hop community made “Scarface” a cultural classic but Hollywood almost didn’t want it. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images) At the time of its release, “Scarface” was not widely embraced by critics or Hollywood insiders. During the interview, he shared, “At the premiere Martin Scorsese turned around in the middle of the film, and he said, ‘You guys are great — but be prepared, because they’re going to hate it in Hollywood.’” “He said that to me and he didn’t know me from Adam,” Pacino continued. “And I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because it’s about them.’” He even recalled losing interest...