Back in 1983, director Brian De Palma and writer Oliver Stone teamed up with an army of craftsmen to remake 1932’s Scarface. The team originally wanted to do a full-on recreation of the 1930s classic. But when budgetary restraints made that idea impossible, the team rolled with the punches - setting their film in 1980s Miami and focusing on a Cuban refugee’s rise and fall from power.
Scarface remains one of the most iconic Gangster films of all-time, even a few decades later. Even people who haven’t seen the film probably know a few of Tony Montana’s classic lines by heart. Today, we’re going to put your knowledge of the film to the test. We guarantee that at least one of the following ten facts will catch you off-guard, just like how the Skull caught Tony.
Al Pacino Ad-Libbed The Word “Yeyo”
One of the things that made Tony Montana such a memorable character was the way he talked. We’re not just talking about his accent - though we’ll get back to that later. It’s also Tony’s lingo and, ahem, colorful vocabulary that’s kept us memorized for years.
Tony was so Hellbent on standing out from the crowd that he used a unique word when he referred to cocaine - “yeyo.” But here’s the thing, the word yeyo wasn’t in the original Scarface script. Pacino kept saying this little piece of Cuban slang whenever he referred to cocaine until the word grew on De Palma.
Tony’s Accent Is Supposed To Sound Off
We should probably address the coke-addled elephant in the room before we go any further. Pacino did a phenomenal job bringing Tony Montana to life. However, one consistent criticism of his potrayal stems from his iffy Cuban accent. Numerous critics questioned if Pacino even worked with a speech coach to prep for the role - again, more on that later.
But consider this; Tony Montanna’s accent doesn’t sound accurate because he’s imitating classic film icons. Early on, Montana said that he grew up watching Golden Age “tough guys” on the big screen. Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and possibly even Cary Grant would be a few of Tony’s childhood heroes.
Pacino Practiced His “Come On Pelicans” Line Extensively
For those wondering, yes, Al Pacino did work with a speech coach. Moreover, Pacino practiced this specific line, over and over again, with a Cuban language coach. According to legend, his delivery of line pleased his coach enough to give him the green light.
The way we see it, Pacino and De Palma probably went down the over-the-top route to make Montana a more memorable character. If that was their train of thought, then we don’t think anyone can argue with the results. Tony only sounds Cuban sometimes, but he sounds like Tony Montana all of the time.
Michelle Pfeiffer Starved For Her Art
The illustrious Michelle Pfeiffer acted opposite Al Pacino for the bulk of Scarface, serving as the cokehead’s calculating muse. Pfeiffer’s talent as an actress was on full display in the film, as well as her natural beauty. However, she put herself through Hell for the sake of her role - jeopardizing her health in the process.
Pfeiffer purposely underate to appear as slim as possible onscreen. With that in mind, it’s hard to obsess over Elvira’s lithe physique when you know what Pfeiffer endured to attain it. Because of this, the actress had mixed feelings about Elvira for a long time.
Pachino Genuinely Stole Pfeiffer’s Hat
Over the years, however, Pfeiffer gradually looked on her role as Elvira more fondly. Even though she suffered a lot while filming, the cast and crew managed to ease some of her pain. Despite the toxic relationship their characters had, Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer got along famously on set.
During the scene where Tony and Elvira are driving together, Pacino genuinely did take Pfeiffer’s hat right from under her nose (or, more accurately, off the top of her head.) Elvira’s shock and delight were genuine, as she didn’t expect Pacino to pull that move on her. It’s one of the best improvised moments in the film.
Mostly Filmed In LA
Scarface might be set in Miami, but most of it wasn’t filmed there. Funnily enough, the film’s budget didn’t factor into this decision - we can chalk this one up to good old fashioned behind-the-scenes politics
The Miami Tourist Board didn’t want the film to be associated with their city. The Board felt that a film about drugs, sex, and violence would be a bad look for Miami. So, the crew had to film in Los Angeles, California instead.
The “Coke” Pacino Snorted Still Bothers Him
We don’t mean “bothers him” in a euphemistic sense - we mean that Pacino developed nasal passage issues because of Tony’s addiction. The Scarface crew swears up and down that he didn’t snort authentic coke. Instead, he vacuumed up mountains of powdered-milk while shooting the film.
Honestly, we believe the cast and crew - we doubt an actor like Al Pacino would want anything taking away from his performances. Hopefully, his nasal passages clear up sometime soon - you’d figure they would after about 30 years or so.
Steven Spielberg Directed A Fraction Of The Film
A wise man once said, “real recognize real.” Great filmmakers like Brian De Palma, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese haven’t just worked together - they’re all life-long friends who helped each other define an era.
Specifically, Spielberg directed a portion of the film’s climax, when the Colombians first assault Montana’s mansion. That low-angle shot of the goons closing in on Tony? That’s Spielberg’s handiwork.
Pacino Burned His Hands During The Finale
Sometimes, actors can get too carried away with a role; Robert De Niro and Daniel Day-Lewis are the champions of this little game, though Al Pacino also had this habit.
During the climactic shootout, Pacino grabbed the barrel of his M16 while firing. Even though the gun was loaded with blanks, the heat generated by the M16 burned him badly enough to send him to the hospital. The rest of the cast and crew continued to film until he got better, explaining the wealth of shots that don’t feature Tony.
De Palma Snuck The X-Rated Cut Into Theaters
Since 1922, the Motion Picture Association of America has been the gatekeeper of the film industry - ultimately deciding what rating a film gets before release. When De Palma sent in his first cut of Scarface, the MPAA initially gave it an “X” rating - which would prevent the film from debuting in most theaters.
De Palma had to resubmit the film two more times before the MPAA gave him the green light. As a way of getting back at the MPAA, De Palma snuck his first cut of the film into theaters anyway - only revealing his grand master plan years later!
