Celebrated screen icon Al Pacino claims that Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford have him to thank for their careers. The 73-year-old star says he was originally offered the lead role in Die Hard, but refused it. He was also the first pick for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars but he turned that down because he couldn’t understand the script.

Pacino said: ”I gave that boy [Bruce] a career. You know who else I gave a career to? Harrison Ford in ‘Star Wars’. That role was mine for the taking but I couldn’t understand the script.” He admits that he was probably wrong to turn down those movies, adding: ”I’m not a good judge of what’s good.”

Al also spoke of his rascal childhood. ”I was smoking at nine and smoking a pipe by 12… well, I was dramatic. The cop on the beat used to buy us booze when I was 13 and 14. He was a great guy. He would say, ‘Have a little of this’, and he would keep a watch on us. I don’t know that it would be politically correct but he is not working anymore and is long retired,” the actor said.

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