Diane Keaton says ‘nobody’ wanted Al Pacino cast in ‘The Godfather’

Diane Keaton revealed no one actually wanted Al Pacino to be cast in the iconic 1972 film, “The Godfather.”

The actress, 76, said Pacino, who later received an Academy Award nomination for his role, was far from casting directors’ first choice to star as Michael Corleone in the hit gangster flick.

“Nobody wanted Al Pacino. They didn’t want him to play that part, and I had already been cast,” Keaton told Entertainment Tonight.

Keaton, who played school teacher Kay Adams-Corleone in the film opposite Pacino, said it was “weird” she was cast before the actor, given that the film is based wholly around his Mafioso character.

“I had been cast before Al Pacino in Godfather 1! Is this not weird?” the Oscar-winning actress said. “What would ‘The Godfather’ have been without Al Pacino? It’s just one of those weird, unusual things in life.”

Keaton was present during Pacino’s second audition execs ultimately “gave him the job.”

“Do you believe that? After he had auditioned before and they didn’t want him,” she said.

The hit film, which later became a trilogy, was based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel of the same name.

And despite the fact the novel topped all bestselling lists, Keaton admitted she didn’t read it before auditioning for the film.

“I think the kindest thing that someone’s ever done for me … is that I got cast to be in ‘The Godfather’ and I didn’t even read it. I didn’t know a single thing,” Keaton told People.

“I just was going around auditioning. I think that was amazing for me. And then I had to kind of read the book.”

“I think about how lucky I am. That’s what I think. And the way I think about things, like I auditioned for ‘The Godfather,’ not having ever read ‘The Godfather’ or caring about ‘The Godfather’ or anything, because all I was doing was auditioning. I needed to get work,” she explained.

“So I was there and so he had me come back and then he cast me and then Al Pacino.”