30 Unexpected Insights About ‘Scarface’

Get ready to impress at your next movie night with these fascinating tidbits about Scarface, Brian De Palma’s legendary tale of crime and cocaine, which hit theaters in 1983.

This wasn’t the original Scarface.

Brian De Palma's Scarface serves as a contemporary reimagining of the 1932 film with the same title, both depicting the ascent and downfall of an immigrant gangster in America. Inspired by the classic, producer Martin Bregman envisioned a modern take while honoring its roots. The 1983 version is dedicated to Howard Hawks, the original director, and Ben Hecht, its screenwriter.

The film might have been directed by Sidney Lumet.

During the early stages of production, Sidney Lumet—renowned for his socially driven films like Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men—was considered to helm the project. “Sidney Lumet proposed the concept of Miami’s contemporary issues, which sparked Bregman’s interest,” Al Pacino shared with Empire magazine. “Collaborating with Oliver Stone, they crafted a dynamic and compelling script. Stone’s writing resonated with the raw energy and societal tensions of the era, capturing the intensity and grit of the underworld.”

Oliver Stone only agreed to write the script after Lumet joined the project.

Producer Bregman, who died on June 16, 2018, approached Oliver Stone, then a rising talent, to revamp the screenplay. However, Stone, still recovering from the commercial failure of his film The Hand, was hesitant. “I wasn’t particularly fond of the original movie,” Stone explained to Creative Screenwriting. “It didn’t resonate with me, and I saw no reason to revisit the Italian gangster theme, as it had already been masterfully explored. According to Marty Bregman, Al Pacino had watched the 1930s version on TV and was captivated by it, expressing his desire to take on a similar role. When Marty pitched the idea to me, I had no interest in a period piece.”

However, when Bregman revisited the project with Stone later, his perspective shifted. “Sidney Lumet had joined the project,” Stone recalled. “He proposed a brilliant concept: transforming the 1930s prohibition-era gangster film into a contemporary immigrant gangster story, addressing similar societal issues. Instead of alcohol, the focus would be on drug prohibition, which, like alcohol prohibition, had spawned a criminal underworld. It was an extraordinary idea.”

Unfortunately, Stone revealed that Lumet despised his script.

Although Lumet’s involvement initially attracted Stone to the project, it was the script that ultimately caused Lumet to leave. Stone explained: “Sidney Lumet didn’t appreciate my script. I’m not sure if he’d publicly admit it, and I don’t want to sound like a disgruntled writer, but Sidney didn’t grasp my vision. Bregman, however, wanted to move forward with Al Pacino in that direction.”

Stone had personal experience with the film’s themes.

To ensure authenticity, Stone immersed himself in research, traveling to Florida and the Caribbean to interview individuals on both sides of the law. “It got intense,” Stone acknowledged about his research. “It provided rich detail. I envisioned a vibrant, tropical, Third World-inspired gangster film set in Miami, filled with cigars and sensuality.”

While writing the screenplay, Stone was battling his own cocaine addiction, which provided him with a firsthand understanding of the drug’s effects. To break free from his habit, he relocated abroad to finish the script, distancing himself from easy access to cocaine.

“I moved to Paris to escape the cocaine scene, which had become a personal struggle,” he admitted. “I was using cocaine at the time and deeply regretted it. As someone with an addictive personality, I fell into the habit, though not to the extreme or destructive levels some experience. Still, it dulled my mind. I left Los Angeles with my then-wife and returned to France to gain a fresh perspective. I wrote the script completely sober.”

Brian De Palma initially resisted auditioning Michelle Pfeiffer.

De Palma was reluctant to consider Pfeiffer, who was then primarily known for the commercial failure Grease 2. Other actresses like Glenn Close, Geena Davis, Carrie Fisher, Kelly McGillis, Sharon Stone, and Sigourney Weaver were in contention for Elvira’s role. However, Bregman insisted on Pfeiffer’s audition, and she ultimately secured the part.

The film contains a significant amount of profanity.

As reported by the Family Media Guide, which tracks explicit language, sexual content, and violence in films, Scarface includes 207 instances of the “F” word, averaging approximately 1.21 F-bombs per minute. This record was surpassed in 2014 by Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which featured a staggering 506 F-bombs.

The character Tony Montana was inspired by a football legend.

Stone, an avid San Francisco 49ers supporter, named the protagonist Tony Montana after his favorite football player, Joe Montana.

Tony is called “Scarface” only once in the entire film, and it’s in Spanish.

Hector, the Colombian gangster who menaces Tony with a chainsaw, calls him “cara cicatriz,” which translates to “scar face” in Spanish.

The infamous chainsaw scene was inspired by a true event. While researching for the film, Stone immersed himself with Miami law enforcement and adapted the gruesome sequence from a real-life gangland tale shared by Miami-Dade County police.

Only a small portion of the movie was filmed in Miami.

Initially, the entire film was planned to be shot in Miami, but protests from the local Cuban-American community forced production to relocate after just two weeks. Apart from the footage captured during those two weeks, the remaining scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, New York, and Santa Barbara.

The extensive use of fake “cocaine” caused issues for Pacino’s nose.

Despite rumors that Pacino used real cocaine during filming, the substance in Scarface was reportedly powdered milk, though De Palma has never confirmed this. Even though it wasn’t real, it still caused issues for Pacino’s nose. “For years afterward, I’ve had problems with my nasal passages,” Pacino revealed in 2015. “I’m not sure what happened, but my nose has changed.”

Pacino’s nose wasn’t the only part of his body that suffered during filming.

In the film’s climactic and bloody finale, Montana famously tells his attackers to “say hello to my little friend,” referring to a massive gun. The weapon endured significant wear from firing blanks, and Pacino burned his hand on its barrel. “My hand got stuck to it,” he recalled. As a result, the actor, with his bandaged hands, had to miss some action scenes in the final weeks of production.

Steven Spielberg directed one shot in the film.

De Palma and Spielberg, friends since the mid-1970s when they both started making studio films, often visited each other’s sets. During the filming of the Colombians’ assault on Tony Montana’s house, Spielberg was present, and De Palma allowed him to direct the low-angle shot capturing the attackers entering the house.

Innovative technology was used for the gun muzzle flashes.

To amplify the intensity of the gunfire, De Palma and the special effects team developed a system to sync the gunfire with the camera’s open shutter, creating dramatic muzzle flashes during the final shootout.

Saddam Hussein was reportedly a fan of the movie.

The money-laundering trust fund established by the former Iraqi dictator was named “Montana Management,” a reference to the company Tony uses for laundering money in the film.

Pfeiffer survived on a diet of tomato soup and cigarettes.

Following her role in Grease 2, Pfeiffer drastically restricted her diet to portray the emaciated cocaine addict Elvira. She relied on “tomato soup and Marlboros,” a regimen not recommended for anyone. While Pfeiffer didn’t mind the weight loss, she found the extended filming schedule grueling. Initially planned for three months, the shoot stretched to six due to budget overruns and delays, prolonging her restrictive diet.

Tony has no idea what to do with lemons.

To subtly highlight Tony’s humble background and lack of refinement, he grabs a lemon during the meeting with Sosa and bites into it instead of using the water to clean his hands. This small gesture contrasts sharply with his otherwise larger-than-life personality.

“The World Is Yours” serves as a tribute to the original film and frames Tony’s assassination attempts.

After surviving an assassination attempt at the nightclub, Tony steps outside to see a blimp displaying the message “The World Is Yours.” This phrase leaves a lasting impression, as Tony later has it engraved on his fountain statue. Beyond being a potential final sight before his death, it also echoes the 1932 film, where a neon sign delivers the same ironic message.

The weapon Tony calls his “little friend” is the same one Schwarzenegger used in Predator.

Tony’s iconic “little friend” is a Colt AR-15 fitted with a custom-made M203 grenade launcher, as the prop team couldn’t source the real one. This unique weapon, crafted by prop master John Zemansky and his team, later appeared in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hands during his battle with the alien in Predator.

Bauer felt compelled to address the backlash from the Cuban community.

As the only Cuban actor in the cast, Bauer faced criticism from the Florida Cuban community, who worried the film would reinforce negative stereotypes. At a Tribeca Film Festival reunion, he reassured them, saying, “Many older Cubans were concerned that my role in a Hollywood film might harm their hard-earned reputation. I told them to relax—it’s just a movie. Be happy for me instead.”

De Palma secretly released the X-rated version in theaters.

The initial cut of Scarface received an X rating, which was problematic in 1983 as it discouraged theaters from screening the film. De Palma attempted to edit it down to an R rating. The entire story is fascinating, but in short, after multiple edits to tone down the violence and an appeal to the MPAA, the film was granted an R rating. Defiantly, De Palma sent the X-rated version to theaters, knowing the changes were minimal. The only noticeable edit might have been a severed arm in the chainsaw scene, but otherwise, the X-rated version remains the one audiences cherish.

John Travolta was nearly cast as Tony Montana’s sidekick.

This makes sense given Travolta’s recent collaboration with De Palma on Blow Out and his suitability for the role of Manny. He reportedly met with Pacino to discuss the part, but it never materialized. Instead, Bauer was cast without an audition and delivered an outstanding performance. Had Travolta joined, the film would have featured two actors from the Grease universe, potentially sparking theories about Scarface being a sequel to the musical.

The film flopped initially but found success through VHS.

Without home video, Scarface might have faded into obscurity. Critics dismissed it as a chaotic mess, and it underperformed at the box office, failing to recoup its budget. However, its release on VHS the following summer sold 100,000 copies at $79.95 each, sparking a cult following and cementing its place in pop culture.

Pfeiffer accidentally cut Pacino with a plate during her final audition.

Not being the top choice, Pfeiffer fought fiercely for the role. After initially being told she didn’t get the part, she was called back for a screen test a month later. Convinced she had no chance, she unleashed her frustration during the audition, hurling plates in the restaurant and cutting Pacino’s face, ultimately securing the role.

De Palma views the film as a gangster’s take on the American Dream.

The world is yours, isn’t it? De Palma shared in an interview with The Talks that Scarface’s lasting appeal is a mix of luck and timing, allowing it to thrive beyond its initial box office failure. “It resonates with each generation,” he noted. “At its core, Scarface is the American Dream portrayed through a gangster’s journey.” Tony’s rise is a twisted version of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps.

Scorsese cautioned Bauer that Hollywood would reject the film.

Scorsese’s prediction was accurate. During high-profile screenings, many Hollywood elites either walked out or labeled the film as trash. After a screening at the Broadway Theater, Scorsese approached Bauer with a warning. “’Hollywood will despise this movie,’” Bauer remembered Scorsese saying. “I asked, ‘Why?’ He replied, ‘Because it’s about them.’” The themes of cocaine, greed, and excess may have struck a nerve.

For two decades, producers have attempted to create a sequel or remake of Scarface, but none have succeeded.

At its core, the story is straightforward: An immigrant rises through the criminal ranks in the U.S., accumulating vast wealth that ultimately leads to his demise. Despite numerous attempts to revisit or reimagine the tale, bringing a new version to life has been challenging. Rapper Cuban Link tried to develop the sequel “Son of Tony” in the early 2000s. Directors like David Yates, David Ayer, and Pablo Larraín were considered for a reboot. Antoine Fuqua was set to direct a version centered on a Mexican immigrant, with filming announced for fall 2018 before the project collapsed. The latest effort involves Luca Guadagnino and the Coen Brothers.

Pfeiffer often cried herself to sleep during filming.

One of the key takeaways from Scarface is that Michelle Pfeiffer had a difficult experience during filming. From extreme dieting to isolation and a prolonged shoot, Pfeiffer faced numerous challenges. “Tony Montana’s dismissive attitude toward my character was part of the story,” she explained. “Some nights, I’d go to bed in tears.”

Tony and Elvira never share a real kiss.

Much like the chainsaw scene avoids showing gore, Tony and Elvira’s romance is mostly suggested. Romantic gestures, like Tony stealing her hat, hint at their connection, but even their wedding kiss is left to the imagination.

Tony’s left taillight remains broken throughout the film.

The film features an array of stunning vehicles, including Bentleys, Porsches, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, and more. Notably, whenever Tony’s car is shown from behind, the left taillight is often broken. The reason remains unclear—it could symbolize his financial priorities early on or his neglect of luxury possessions later. Alternatively, it might hint at being tailed, as a missing taillight would make the car more noticeable without the driver realizing.