Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro Celebrate ‘The Godfather’ in 50-Year Tribute at 2022 Oscars

Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro Celebrate ‘The Godfather’ in 50-Year Tribute at 2022 Oscars

Director Francis Ford Coppola joined Robert De Niro and Al Pacino on stage at the 2022 Oscars to thank the “legends” who made The Godfather possible.

The 94th annual Academy Awards paid its respects to The Godfather.

The film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, and star Al Pacino joined Robert DeNiro — who appeared in 1974’s The Godfather Part II — onstage at the 2022 Oscars on Sunday to celebrate the award-winning crime drama’s 50th anniversary.

Following an introduction by Sean “Diddy” Combs, Coppola, 82, Pacino, 81, and DeNiro, 78, walked on stage together, where the director praised the “legends” who made The Godfather possible decades ago.

“I feel moments like this should be sincere and brief, and I’m so grateful for my wonderful friends to come here to help me celebrate with you,” Coppola said of DeNiro and Pacino. “This project that we began 50 years ago with really the most extraordinary collaborators, many of them legends and so many of them that I can’t take the time to list them all, but you know them all well.”

“So I’m going to only thank two from the bottom of my heart,” Coppola added, personally thanking Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather novels, and late producer Robert Evans.

“Thank you. Viva Ukraine!” Coppola concluded.
Pacino recently reflected on how The Godfather became a cultural phenomenon over the years in honor of the film’s milestone anniversary.

The Oscar winner told The New York Times that he is “deeply honored” by the attention and praise the film has received since its premiere.

“It’s a piece of work that I was so fortunate to be in. But it’s taken me a lifetime to accept it and move on,” he said. “It’s not like I played Superman.”

The Scarface actor revealed he is “surprised” when people tell him that they haven’t seen the iconic crime epic.

He added, “They’ve heard about it. You get that. ‘Oh, I heard — were you in that? That was a film, wasn’t it?’ ”

Pacino also opened up about how taking on the role of Michael Corleone in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film changed his life and career.