Sympathy For The Devil

by Raj Bahadur

NEW YORK CITY -- Al Pacino as the Devil. Somehow, it fits. Not that there's anything satanic about the guy. But if anyone can give nuance to so bold a character, it's the great Pacino.

And not just any devil, but one with a law degree. Again, it fits. Blame Taylor Hackford, who directed THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, and, as Pacino puts it, "felt the script was a good canvas to express some of his feelings about today's society. When a director is that passionate about something, you know the movie has a chance."

Hence, involvement by Pacino, who doesn't jump at just anything. Playing opposite him is Keanu Reeves, a perfect-record defense attorney from down South, recruited by Pacino's N.Y. firm. Once aboard, Reeves and his wife (Charlize Theron) realize the offer is too good to be true. Too late. New York turns out to be a hellhole (I guess they don't get out much down South), Reeves has conscience and career put to the test, and the young couple finds itself seduced by Pacino's demonic minions.

Even with the special effects, THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE is far more morality play than horror show. With fiendish cunning assuming many guises, Pacino prepared accordingly.

"There's no barometer in playing the Devil, so anything goes. We wanted a tempting Devil, a Faustian Devil. You really don't want to give it away and have the audience know you're the Devil right off. To give the role credibility, I looked at other people who've played the part, so I wouldn't feel like I'm the only one who ever did it."

Pacino singled out late actor Walter Huston (THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER), also such texts as PARADISE LOST and Dante's INFERNO for study references. Other than that, he flew by the seat of his pants. Improvisational techniques from his Actor's Studio days helped.

"I don't usually do improv," admits Pacino. "But I use it to get through the subtext or find areas in a scene I didn't see before. In movies, they usually don't have time for that. An exception was in DOG DAY AFTERNOON. The telephone scene was an improvisation between Chris Sarandon and me. We did about seven or eight improvs, and then [director] Sidney Lumet pieced them together."

No Al Pacino film would be complete without an "Al Pacino moment," those scenes in which everyone steps back while Al chews scenery. THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE is no different. His monologue on the sorry state of the world heading into the new millennium is exemplary, as is a lesser scene in which he breaks into Sinatra ("It Happened in Monterey").

Describing his black humor outburst, Pacino relates, "That's an example of something that came out of an improv. We wanted the encounter between Keanu and me to have its capriciousness, yet remain in context."

Despite being world-class, Pacino, a living repository of training and tricks, confesses to a chronic insecurity when approaching a role.

He states, "I have the same doubts I've always had. Maybe that's what keeps me going. I worked with Lee Strasberg [the late Actor's Studio honcho] -- the guru of the theater. But I never really knew him until I worked with him. Working together is like two people on a tightrope. You're balancing and checking and dependent on each other -- a mutual relationship. Acting is 'I throw you the ball, you throw me the ball.'"

Another reason for persevering is the desire to play intriguing roles. "The material has always been my dictate," he says.

"If the material is engrossing, I get excited. There was a period where I went four years between movies. I've had other periods where I didn't do anything. Recently, I've been more active, though having many roles from which to choose is difficult.

"Is it THE BELLBOY where Jerry Lewis' boss tells him to go into a huge ballroom and lay down chairs? But the question is, where's he gonna put that first chair? It's a piece of genius watching him trying to figure it out. That's the way I feel when there's a lot of stuff to pick from. There's much to be said about waiting for something inspirational. As you get older, your time's running out. You're trying to figure what to do next. Bring the body and the mind will follow."

Pacino's allowing for the ravages of age? Sure. He's never been precious about wrinkles. However, that quote about "time's running out" is a bit ominous. He expounds.

"I've been doing this [acting] for 30 years. It's not that my time is running out. But I'm either too old for specific roles or they don't interest me in the same way they did a few years ago. If I want to do a play, that's a year out of my life. As long as I keep the idea that the play comes first, I can handle it."

Before you go, Al, is there anything you want to pass on to the kids, any words of wisdom to impart? Here's his speech to the young actor. "I see so many plays I wished I'd done. They would've been so important for my growth. That's what I recommend all the time -- involve yourself in the classics. You'll learn a lot. It will give you the variety you can never get if you constantly do the same thing.

"It's harder when you're famous. There's such a spotlight on you, you can't afford to fail. Part of why I make my own little films is to take chances and possibly fail in roles I might not ordinarily be cast for."

According to Pacino, you're never too old to develop your craft. "My grandfather was a plasterer," he remembers. "He had such a love for what he did. You felt that he really wanted to get up and do it again the next day. Acting is all about pursuit and staying with something. What is the saying? He who continues in his folly will someday be wise."

Pacino doesn't specify where he is along that folly/wisdom continuum. In his favor, he just gave up smoking. Or as he puts it, "I've given up giving up." Instead, he smokes those herbal cigarettes that smell like marijuana. For a better sense of Pacino, check out his baseball anecdote and judge for yourself.

"I wanted to watch a few innings, catch the afternoon sun and see those great ballplayers. I thought, if I have to leave early, it's like leaving in the middle of a play. So I put a beard on. Of course, they got it all on television. That beard is now in the Museum Of Mistakes."