Al Pacino on sudden fame after 'The Godfather': 'I had therapy 5 days a week'

close

Video

Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for Dec. 19

Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines for Dec. 19 are here. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment.

Hollywood legend Al Pacino has opened up about his early struggles with fame.

Pacino, now 79, rocketed to stardom after his Oscar-nominated performance in 1972's "The Godfather," which was only his fourth credited role in Tinseltown, though he had previously found success on Broadway.

During a visit to The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter Podcast, the actor revealed that he sought professional help in coping with his sudden fame.

JUDY GARLAND'S EX-LOVER JOHN MEYER RECALLS THE STAR'S FINAL TUMULTUOUS MONTHS

"It is a big thing to get used to," Pacino said. "I remember [director and actor] Lee Strasberg saying to me, 'Darling, you simply have to adjust.' And you simply do. But it's not so simple."

In this 1999 photo, actor Al Pacino, (L) star of the new film "The Insider", poses with then-girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo at the film's premiere in Beverly Hills. (Reuters)

The difficulties fame forced him to face resulted in frequent therapy appointments for the star.

"I went through some stuff," he admitted. "I had therapy five days a week for 25 years."

EDDIE MURPHY'S 10 KIDS WILL FLY TO NEW YORK TO WATCH HIM HOST 'SNL' FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 35 YEARS

Following his success in the 1970s, Pacino chose to slow down in the '80s, appearing in only five films that decade.

"I just wanted to move away from the pace of the whole thing, and it was good for me," Pacino recalled. "I enjoyed it. But then, as it happens, the money runs out."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Pacino has gone on to win numerous awards for stage and screen. Most recently, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work in "The Irishman," a film in which Pacino once again plays mobster Jimmy Hoffa.