Al Pacino admits he doesn't want to be 'gray' while opening up about 'terrible' struggle with alcoholism

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Al Pacino, 84, recognizes he is an "old fella" now, but doesn’t feel "gray yet."

Thus, the 'Godfather' actor, who also likened his gray head to a "white fire hydrant," used a picture of his younger self on the cover of his recently released memoir 'Sonny Boy'. 

Al Pacino doesn't feel he's gray yet

During his recent interview with CBS' 'Turner Classic Movies' host Ben Mankiewicz, Al Pacino opened up about his life and his much-anticipated memoir.

Talking to Mankiewicz, the 'Scarface' actor quipped, "I'm an old fella, you know?" before elaborating, "When I have my hair now and I go out and someone takes a picture of me, all you see is, like, a white hydrant! A white fire hydrant!"

However, the 84-year-old is evergreen, as he said, "I don't feel I'm gray yet. I don't want to be gray. I'm that guy in the book cover," referring to the picture from his younger years that he used for the cover of his memoir 'Sonny Boy'.

Further into the interview, Pacino shared that the title was inspired by the adorable nickname his mother, Rose Gerard Pacino, gave him when he was young.

Al Pacino on his battle with alcoholism and horrifying experience with Covid

During the interview, Al Pacino, who has been a recipient of multiple Academy Awards, two Emmys, two Tonys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a life achievement award from the American Film Institute, claimed that he tried to cope with his massive success by resorting to alcohol. 

He expressed, "Alcohol is a depressant – like, literally it brings you down." 

Pacino admitted that after he stopped drinking, things got "a little worse for a while" before finally falling into place.

He told Mankiewicz, "It really was terrible. But then, eventually, thank God, it got there."

The 'Scent of a Woman' actor also talked about his horrifying near-death experience with Covid. 

Describing it as "out of this world," Pacino explained, "I mean, I was here and then I wasn't. The nurse said my pulse stopped. Now, I don't think my pulse stopped."

He expressed that he felt death from a close proximity, before elaborating, "It was so real. And I didn't see any light. I didn't see anything at all. There's a speech in 'Hamlet' where he says, 'To be or not to be.' You know? And then when he talks about leaving the Earth when you die, and he says, 'No more. No more.' How about that?"

Though the actor has gained profound wisdom from his lengthy career, he is not ready to give it up yet and has six unreleased films lined up.

The father of four shared, "I like sitting on the couch. But I keep working. I've got six films. Smaller roles, of course. And they haven't come out yet."

Insider gives insights into Al Pacino's mindset at 84

An insider recently told RadarOnline that Al Pacino is nowadays consumed with his mortality and past. 

They shared, "Al is on his last legs, and he knows it. All he can talk about these days is his mortality and his past."

"Bringing out his memoir has really brought it all poignantly to the front of his mind, and after he was nearly killed by Covid it’s really all he can think about," further said the source, before adding, "But it’s a real credit to him he is still working — and he intends to until he drops."