Al Pacino recently disclosed that he agreed to star in the 2011 Adam Sandler film Jack and Jill, despite its critical failure, because he was financially broke at the time.
In his memoir Sonny Boy, Pacino explained the drastic turn his career took after a shady accountant squandered all his savings in a Ponzi scheme. The mismanagement was so severe that Pacino’s bank account, once holding $50 million, was completely emptied. He recounted how he discovered the issue after returning from a costly family trip, realizing his financial situation had drastically changed.
“I thought, ‘It’s simple. It’s clear. I just know this. Time stopped. I am fucked,'” Pacino wrote. “I had $50 million, and then I had nothing. Sure, I had property, but no money. And in this business, when you make $10 million for a film, it’s not really $10 million. After the lawyers, agents, publicists, and government, you’re left with $4.5 million. But you’re living above that because you’re riding high—and that’s how you lose it all.”
The actor, who was already in his 70s when the financial disaster hit, found himself needing to make a quick adjustment. He realized that the lucrative roles he once secured in Hollywood were becoming less frequent with age, making it tough to land major paydays. As a result, Pacino shifted his focus from seeking meaningful roles that resonated with him to accepting any offer that could provide financial relief. This change led him to take roles like Jack and Jill and even reconsider his previous ban on doing TV commercials.
“‘Jack and Jill’ was the first movie I made after losing my money. To be honest, I took it because I didn’t have any other options,” Pacino admitted. “Adam Sandler really wanted me, and they paid me a lot for it. So I went ahead and did it, and it helped. I love Adam—he’s a great actor, a hell of a guy, and working with him was a joy. He’s since become a dear friend.”