In 1996, Keanu Reeves agreed to star in the film The Devil’s Advocate in part for the chance to act with Al Pacino.
But Al Pacino doesn’t like the film’s script, which is thought of as a blockbuster, with many action scenes. And he also doesn’t like his character, which he considers too cliché.
He had shown interest in the film before reading the script, only knowing the book that would be adapted. He finally announces to the producers that he is withdrawing from the project…
The script is then rewritten in hopes of changing his mind. But the new version doesn’t please him either. The script is rewritten a second time. Then a third.
Finally, Al Pacino validates the script, but there is still a problem: his salary.
Al Pacino wants two million more than the fee he was offered.
The producers then ask Keanu Reeves to donate part of his salary to Pacino. (Often in Hollywood, the envelope allocated to actors is fixed in advance and is not expandable. The only way to increase it is to decrease someone else’s salary.)
Keanu Reeves, known for not being greedy, agrees without hesitation to give up part of his salary to his co-star.