Scarface, one of the eighties most quintessential crime dramas, has experienced renewed interest over the past couple of years. Written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma, it was actually a remake of the 1932 Scarface film produced by Howard Hawks and Howard Hughes. And while you could have easily have gleaned this info via a basic google search, here are some interesting bits of trivia you might not have been aware of. Why? Simply because no one knew what the career trajectories would be for the actors and people involved in the film. Now with the benefit of time, here’s a look back at some of the things we already know, may have forgotten, or never knew at all.
Scarface – basic info and more
- Tony Montana’s character is Cuban but the actor who played him Al Pacino is Sicilian Italian-American.
- Al Pacino was born in East Harlem, is an only child
- An Italian-American played a Cuban immigrant and anyone who objects should remember that Cuba is highly diverse. In fact, Cuba was discovered by an Italian, Christopher Columbus. Pacino was iconic in the role,the film wouldn’t be the same with a different actor. The faux Cuban accent was an added plus, almost comically entertaining.
- Steven Bauer (who played Manny Ribera) is Cuban-American and was the only Cuban actor in the entire cast. Bauer is his stage name, Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson is his given name. Born in Havana Cuba, Bauer’s maternal grandfather was a German-Jewish refugee. Bauer also has some Italian heritage on his mother’s side. The family subsequently emigrated from Cuba to the United States following the Cuban Revolution.
- The Melanie Griffith connection. Steven Bauer’s first wife was actress Melanie Griffith, mother of Dakota Johnson. Griffith and Bauer had one son together, Alexander Bauer, prior to divorcing.
- Rumor has it that John Travolta was considered for the role of Manny Ribera. Robert De Niro was considered for the lead, Tony Montana, but turned it down.
- Richard Belzer (of Law and Order fame and more) played the M.C. at The Babylon Club.
- The actor who portrayed Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa was originally from Milwaukee Wisconsin. Actor Paul Shenar was actually of Polish descent. He was also in a relationship with actor Jeremy Brett, of Sherlock Holmes fame.
- “The world is yours” was in the original 1932 Scarface also. In the 1932 version, it’s written on a building sign. In the 1983 version, it’s scrawled across the side of a blimp. What ever happened to blimps? By the way, the Empire State building originally had plans for a blimp docking station; in theory passengers would depart via a gangplank. Good thing it (the gangplank, blimp station or anything like it) was never actually implemented.There’s a NY Times article about it, “Not Just a Perch for King Kong.”
More Scarface trivia to come…But for now, there’s this
More Scarface trivia to come…But for now, there’s this