Bruce Dern Got Hitchcock Role After Al Pacino Demanded $1 Million
The veteran actor revealed how Alfred Hitchcock's budget constraints and Al Pacino's hefty salary demands led to an unexpected casting decision that would define the Master of Suspense's final film.
At nearly 90 years old, Bruce Dern remains one of Hollywood's most fascinating links to cinema's golden age. The veteran performer, born in 1936, has worked with legendary directors and continues delivering memorable performances well into his later years. Among his most notable collaborations were two films with Alfred Hitchcock - a brief appearance as a sailor in 1964's Marnie and a much larger role in what would become the director's swan song.
The Million-Dollar Misunderstanding
In Family Plot, Hitchcock's 1976 black comedy, Dern portrayed George Lumley, a character who gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme alongside his psychic girlfriend Blanche, played by Barbara Harris. However, Dern wasn't the filmmaker's first choice for this pivotal role. During an interview with Cowboys & Indians magazine, the actor shared a revealing conversation that explained how he landed the part.
"First of all, Bruce, Mr Packino wanted too much money," Hitchcock told him cryptically. "He wanted a million dollars." Dern was puzzled by the director's reference until Hitchcock clarified his position on high salaries. "Hitch doesn't pay a million dollars," the actor recalled. "Even Miss [Julie] Andrews and Mr [Paul] Newman didn't get a million dollars from Hitch [for Torn Curtain]."
The Pacino Connection Revealed
When Dern pressed for more details about this mysterious "Mr Packino," Hitchcock made an unusual comment about Italian names being spelled phonetically. That's when everything clicked for Dern - the director had been referring to Al Pacino all along. At the time, Pacino was riding high on a string of critically acclaimed performances in Serpico, The Godfather Part II, and Dog Day Afternoon, making him one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents.
Despite Hitchcock's legendary status in the film industry, the collaboration never materialized. The Master of Suspense hadn't scored a major hit in several years, and his declining health had affected his standing in Hollywood. Combined with Pacino's steep asking price, these factors ultimately prevented the partnership from happening.
An Unexpected Compliment
Hitchcock didn't just settle for Dern as a budget-friendly alternative - he genuinely believed the actor brought something special to the role. The director told his star that he was more "entertaining" than Pacino would have been in the part. "I have 1,242 [photos of actors] on the bulletin board, but none of them are interesting," Hitchcock explained, ultimately describing Dern as the most unpredictable performer he had ever directed.
For Hitchcock, unpredictability represented the highest form of praise he could give an actor. Whether this compliment provided much comfort to Dern at the time remains unclear, but the role gave him a unique place in cinema history. Family Plot became Hitchcock's final completed film before health issues forced his retirement. The legendary director passed away just four years after the movie's release, making Dern one of the last actors to work with the Master of Suspense. While he may have gotten the job because he fit the budget, Dern can forever claim he starred in the concluding chapter of one of cinema's greatest careers.