Al Pacino names Cary Grant as Hollywood's greatest movie star
Al Pacino has named Cary Grant as the greatest movie star in Hollywood history, telling Far Out Magazine that such stardom feels "innate or something." The Godfather legend praised Grant's delivery, charisma, and persona, and said even modern icons like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney cannot match him.
Key Takeaways
- Pacino picked Cary Grant as Hollywood's greatest movie star, distinct from being the "best actor."
- He called stardom hard to explain, saying, "I just don't know how Cary Grant did it."
- DiCaprio and Clooney got modern-era nods, but Pacino said neither rivals Grant.
- Pacino helped blur the actor-versus-star divide during 1970s New Hollywood.
Why does Al Pacino call Cary Grant Hollywood's greatest movie star?
Actors and movie stars are often different breeds, but when Pacino broke through in the 1970s, those lines blurred. Today, the distinction feels clearer: Ryan Reynolds is a movie star, Daniel Day-Lewis is an actor, and Tom Cruise sits firmly in star territory, while figures like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and DiCaprio occupy both worlds.
Still, Pacino reserves his highest praise for Grant. "When I look at him, I think, 'Wow,'" he told Far Out Magazine. "He had a few attributes, like looks and stuff like that, but at the same time, he also had this delivery, this charisma, the person he became, this persona."
Pacino added that Grant's appeal belonged to a specific era, and that none of today's stars hold a candle to him. For more on Hollywood legends and breaking celebrity news, see our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.
What did Pacino say about Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney?
Turning to the modern era, Pacino named DiCaprio "as another kind of movie star" and described Clooney as "closer to the ones that I'm familiar with." Clooney has long heard comparisons to Golden Age throwbacks, a label Pacino seemed to echo.
Even so, Pacino was clear that neither DiCaprio nor Clooney reaches Grant's level. His verdict underscores how he separates star power from acting craft, even when praising contemporary A-listers.
How did New Hollywood change what a movie star could be?
In Hollywood's Golden Age, audiences knew exactly who the stars were. New Hollywood upended that status quo. For arguably the first time, the industry's biggest names were also among its best actors, and many did not fit the conventional matinee-idol mold.
Alongside Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman helped redefine stardom. Burt Reynolds, meanwhile, showed the classic movie star was not disappearing. That generation could put audiences in seats and deliver performances that defined a cinematic era.
Why does Pacino say stardom is 'innate or something'?
Pacino admits there is no recipe for cinematic superstardom. He has often seemed bemused that he became a face of New Hollywood, even as five Academy Award nominations in seven years and a run of seminal films made that status obvious.
Asked what it takes to be a movie star, he replied: "That's a hard one to figure. It's innate or something. I think it comes with the territory. Let's put it this way; I just don't know how Cary Grant did it."
That uncertainty may be why Pacino's pick matters. From a performer who bridged acting and stardom, Grant remains the benchmark Hollywood still measures itself against.