Al Pacino Says Being 'Broke' Led Him to Star in 'Jack and Jill' With Adam Sandler: ‘I Had $50 Million and Then I Had Nothing'
Al Pacino has revealed that he starred in the 2011 critically panned Adam Sandler film Jack and Jill because he was broke.
In his recently released memoir titled Sonny Boy, Pacino explained that he had to make a profound career change after a shady accountant lost all his money in a Ponzi scheme. The accountant mismanaged Pacino's money so horribly that the actor saw his savings account go from $50 million to nothing.
According to Pacino, he got word in 2011 that he shouldn't work with the accountant as he couldn't be trusted. Pacino finally caught wind of what was going on when he returned from an expensive family trip and saw his money had changed.
"And I thought, It's simple. It's clear. I just know this. Time stopped. I am fucked," he wrote in the memoir. "I was broke. I had $50 million, and then I had nothing. I had property, but I didn't have any money. In this business, when you make $10 million dollars for a film, it's not $10 million. Because after the lawyers, and the agents, and the publicist, and the government, it's not $10 million, it's $4.5 million in your pocket. But you're living above that because you're high on the hog. And that's how you lose it."
At the time the accountant lost the money, Pacino was in his 70s and had to quickly adjust as he wouldn't be getting the same opportunities in Hollywood when he was younger. Pacino claimed wasn't getting huge paydays anymore and it was difficult for him to find roles.
To combat that, Pacino stopped searching for roles that he could relate to by bringing his all and switched over to whatever acting opportunities paid him, such as starring in Jack and Jill and lifting his ban on doing TV commercials.
"'Jack and Jill' was the first film I made after I lost my money. To be honest, I did it because I didn't have anything else," said Pacino. "Adam Sandler wanted me, and they paid me a lot for it. So I went out and did it, and it helped. I love Adam, he was wonderful to work with and has become a dear friend. He also just happens to be a great actor and a hell of a guy."
