Al Pacino’s new study in complexity: ‘Paterno’
His third HBO biopic takes on the Penn State legend
BEVERLY HILLS – Al Pacino can turn a 10-minute photo shoot into a bravura performance.
The actor, ever the artist, asks a stylist not to fuss too much with his hair — “I don’t mind. It’s the imperfections.” — and praises the versatility of the tuxedo while posing with Barry Levinson, who directs him in HBO’s
Paterno (Saturday, 8 ET/PT). The movie charts the downfall of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno after a former subordinate’s arrest on child sex charges.
But it’s the comfort Pacino feels with frequent collaborator Levinson
(Rain Man, Diner) that’s most apparent as the two discuss everything from contemporary politics to Roman aqueducts before a photographer asks them to move closer together.
“We’re pals,” Levinson says, putting his hand on Pacino’s shoulder.
Trust led the Oscar winners to return to HBO for their third biopic after 2010’s You Don’t Know Jack, about assisted-suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian, and 2013’s Phil Spector, which Levinson produced. Pacino won Emmys for
Jack and for playing real-life lawyer Roy Cohn in HBO’s Angels in America.
“Al’s always willing to try something. ‘What happens if we do this?’ ” says Levinson, 75. “There’s a certain experimentation. Some things may work; maybe something doesn’t work. It makes it fun.”
“I trust him completely,” says Pacino, 77. “That’s important to an actor.”
Paterno covers a two-week period in 2011 that saw the demise of the legendary coach, then 84, who goes from setting a college win record to being fired after Jerry Sandusky’s arrest on charges of sexually abusing boys during and after his tenure as Paterno’s defensive coordinator.
As the crisis intensifies, Paterno’s home becomes a bunker for the increasingly beleaguered coach, his wife (Kathy Baker) and his adult children (Greg Grunberg, Annie Parisse and Larry Mitchell).
“It’s an incredible fall from grace. You’re talking about the king of Happy Valley,” Levinson says, referring to the coach’s supreme status in State College, Pa. “Here’s a man who talks about education, a humanitarian. He’s at the height, the winningest coach in college football history, and within a week he’s fired and then goes in for the diagnosis of cancer. And you go, ‘Wow!’ ”
The film goes into detail about Paterno being informed about a 2001 incident, which he reported to university authorities — but not to police — without taking further action. Paterno’s family denied he knew of any incidents before the 2001 allegation.
Levinson says he avoided taking a stance on Paterno’s possible complicity. “He obviously had information . ... How much did he know or didn’t know? I think that’s what makes it fascinating.”
Paterno was complicated and contradictory, says Pacino.
“He’s trying to figure out two things: what he did that has allowed this to happen, and how do you cope with it?”