How a Bloody Audition Won Michelle Pfeiffer the Role of Elvira in Scarface
Initially rejected by Al Pacino and battling self-doubt, Michelle Pfeiffer’s fiery screen test — which accidentally left Pacino bleeding — convinced everyone she was perfect for Scarface.
When Michelle Pfeiffer recently appeared on the SmartLess podcast, she revealed the wild story of how she won the role of Elvira Hancock in Brian De Palma’s Scarface (1983) — a part she almost didn’t get because Al Pacino didn’t want her.
“Al will admit this,” Pfeiffer said. “He didn’t really want me for the part.” While director Brian De Palma believed in her, Pfeiffer said her early auditions started strong but got progressively worse. “Over the course of two months, I just got worse and worse because I was afraid. And by the end, I was bad.”
Eventually, De Palma told her, “You know, doll, it’s just not gonna work out.” Pfeiffer agreed, relieved that the stressful process was over. But a month later, she got a surprise call to do a screen test. With no expectations, she walked in completely relaxed — and delivered what she called her best work.
The scene she performed was the intense restaurant confrontation, where Elvira explodes in frustration. During the take, Pfeiffer swept her arm across the table, shattering dishes and glasses — and accidentally cut Pacino’s finger. “There’s blood everywhere,” she recalled. “They all run over to see where I’ve cut myself, and I say, ‘I didn’t cut me. I cut Al!’”
Assuming the accident had ruined her chances, she braced for rejection. But instead, that was the moment Pacino changed his mind. “I think that was the day he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. She’s not bad,’” Pfeiffer said.
Scarface went on to become one of the most iconic crime dramas of all time, chronicling Tony Montana’s rise from Cuban immigrant to Miami drug lord. Pfeiffer’s portrayal of Elvira, Tony’s troubled wife and the epitome of 1980s decadence, became one of her most defining performances — and it all started with a little blood on the audition floor.
