Playing the role of the mobster’s wife or girlfriend can be pretty thankless. Many of the stories told in gangster movies take place in a male-centric world and the women, no matter how well written or well acted, tend to get left on the outside; perhaps nothing sums it up better than the final scene in “The Godfather” when the door is closed on Michael Corleone’s wife. “The Sopranos” to fully fleshed out the female leads and made their characters as compelling as the guys, but one of the most memorable film performances in such a role came from Michelle Pfeiffer in “Scarface.” And she only secured the part by making Al Pacino bleed.
Pfeiffer plays Elvira, the discontented girlfriend of Miami crime lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Despite the fact she’s dating his current boss, ferocious upstart Tony Montana (Pacino) has his heart set on making her “his” from the moment he claps eyes on her. Elvira is coldly dismissive of the uncouth Cuban exile to begin with, but she gradually changes her tune when it becomes clear that Frank has gone soft and it’s only a matter of time before somebody takes him out.
Producer Martin Bregman and director Brian De Palma met with “every young actress in the business” for the role, including Carrie Fisher, Kim Basinger, Sigourney Weaver, and Geena Davis. Pfeiffer, whose only major film to that point was the musical flop “Grease 2,” was a long way down the list and only came to Bregman’s attention when her agent called offering her services. She even had to pay for her own flight to the audition (although she was reimbursed later), but once she got there, she made a big and painful impression on her illustrious co-star.
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Al Pacino didn’t want Michelle Pfeiffer in the role
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Elvira about to get very mad at Tony Montana over dinner in Scarface – Universal Pictures
After a string of incredible movies (“The Godfather,” “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon”) and with five Oscar nominations already under his belt, Al Pacino had a big say in who would play his on-screen wife in “Scarface.” Not only was he the star, the movie was his idea in the first place, set into motion after the actor had caught a screening of Howard Hawks’ frequently banned 1932 original.
Only 23 at the time, Michelle Pfeiffer admitted during an interview with Jimmy Fallon that she was “terrified” during the lengthy audition process. Although Brian De Palma was supportive, her nerves were not helped any because Pacino wasn’t so keen. She quipped: “My last credit before that was ‘Grease 2,’ can you blame him?” Reportedly, De Palma and Pacino’s first pick was Glenn Close, but that choice didn’t sit right with producer Martin Bregman. Bregman was sold on Pfeiffer from the beginning, stating: “When she got up on stage [at the audition] she brought out the light. I don’t think even [Pacino] was aware of it, but it happened, the relationship happened […] right then and there.”
Whatever misgivings Pacino might have had about Pfeiffer’s suitability for the role, she grabbed his full attention when she received a call to perform a screen test with the actor. Having all but given up on getting hired for the part, she let go of her inhibitions and cut loose while reading through Elvira’s big restaurant scene towards the end of the movie. After throwing glasses and tableware and generally trashing the place, she realized that “there was blood everywhere” — but it wasn’t coming from her. Pacino was the one bleeding instead, and Pfeiffer credits injuring the star with landing her the gig.
Michelle Pfeiffer makes the most of a few scenes in Scarface
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Elvira walking away from Tony’s advances in Scarface – Universal Pictures
“Scarface” is a movie dominated by Pacino’s volcanic turn as Tony Montana. He threatens to blow everyone off the screen, and it’s a testament to the supporting actors that they manage to carve out memorable characters in the shadow of such a larger-than-life figure. Among the cast, Michelle Pfeiffer does a remarkable job with a fairly generic trophy wife role.
With her pristine hair and makeup and rocking the finest early ’80s fashions, Elvira’s prickly demeanor appears to stem from a lifetime of objectification by brutal chauvinists like Frank and Tony. They only see her as a symbol of their status as the big man around town, and, in Tony’s case, the perfect candidate to give him children. We don’t know how long she has lived this shallow existence but the consolation of expensive clothes, fancy restaurants, and an endless supply of cocaine has become an albatross around her neck by the time we meet her.
Elvira is spirited, however, and she retains some dignity and control by belittling the men around her, mocking Frank and talking down to Tony. Pfeiffer believably traces this arc with only a handful of major scenes before Elvira finally reclaims control of her own life in the dinner table scene, walking out on Tony and leaving him to his fate. It’s the one moment in “Scarface” where Pacino is upstaged by anyone else, and Pfeiffer’s fiery outburst is perhaps the finest piece of acting in the movie. Pfeiffer sure proved Pacino wrong with her performance, and set a course for stardom in the process.
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