Al Pacino as a stand-up comic?
That's how he started his career, the Oscar-winning actor says.
"There's a facility I have to fall down. I had a certain physical comedy I did with a partner. And I thought I was going to do that," he recently told reporters. "But I didn't want to be funny all the time, only when I felt like it. And that's not a good idea."
Pacino, 64, won the best-actor Oscar in 1993 for "Scent of a Woman." His screen credits also include "Dog Day Afternoon," "The Godfather" movies and "Serpico."
He plays Shylock in his latest film, "The Merchant of Venice."
"There's a bit of a myth here with me and Shakespeare — like I'm piped into Shakespeare or something," he said. "I'm not. Believe me. I'm not here to be a representative or sort of present Shakespeare to the world. He doesn't need me."