Galway actor Eugene Horan recently took centre stage in front of one thousand people including the legendary Al Pacino and performed an impression of the Hollywood icon.
This unique opportunity came about when celebrity event specialists Olexy Productions were so impressed by a monologue they watched online of Eugene performing Pacino’s famous inspirational speech from the hit movie Any Given Sunday. And so it was agreed that Eugene would attend the event, be handed the microphone on the night and unknown to Pacino, the Irishman was to break out into his own unique routine.
A still frame from the official video by film maker Ben Herbert—which we hope to share soon!—of Eugene during his speech.
Eugene explained, “It’s funny, I had my own scripted piece prepared but I never anticipated Al playing along with it, interrupting it, changing the direction of it and completely engaging in what turned out to be a real crowd pleasing public conversation. My game plan went totally out the window and the improv’ skills needed in the acting game certainly kicked in to gear”.
The black tie event had approached the Q&A section of proceedings, when Eugene was handed the microphone by one of the production team. It began with Al seated up on stage and Eugene addressing him from a standing position at his front table. However, this is when things took an unsuspected turn. Al quickly realized that Eugene was indeed impersonating him, when he stood up and started walking towards the front of the stage to observe Eugene more closely. Without even thinking, Eugene continued with his speech while walking right up to the stage.
Eugene on stage with Al (still frame from the official video by Ben Herbert).
Next thing, the crowd reacted with laughter as both men almost appear to square up to each other. Eugene describes this moment with a broad smile, “The next thing I know, Al is standing right above me at the edge of the stage and we begin this fantastic exchange of dialogue, all the while staying completely in character. Suddenly I feel like all Al is missing is the M16 assault rifle he used in Scarface as he’s staring down at me!”
The audience then erupted as Eugene proclaimed to Pacino, “You know what, this was a lot less intimidating practicing in front of the mirror!”
With that, Pacino too burst into laughter and asked Eugene to join him up on stage. Eugene extended his hand in gratitude but instead The Godfather legend threw his arms around the Galway actor and said, “You got some balls kid, I like that!”…
The 1000 capacity audience of the Centenary Pavilion cheered and applauded what really was a touching moment between a rising star and one of his inspirational heroes.
Later backstage, the pair got the opportunity to share a laugh and a joke about the whole experience but Pacino made a point of reiterating the inspiring message… “I really enjoyed that kid. You’re good. Real good!”
Al Pacino and Eugene pictured backstage, sharing a joke about their scene together (Photo by Matt Johnson).
Eugene Horan has three worldwide releases in 2015. Apocalyptic thriller Plan Z was represented at this year’s Cannes Film Festival by Carnaby International and a release date is expected to be announced soon. The Fairy Flag, billed as the biggest movie out of Scotland since Braveheart, along with the Martha Pinson’s Tomorrow, which is Exec’ Produced by the legendary Martin Scorsese, are both due to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Meanwhile, Eugene has also been busy recording voice over roles in a new feature film, David Izatt’s A Christmas Carol and an upcoming but yet to be named high profile video game.
For more on Eugene, check out his social media links below:
Facebook: Eugene Horan Official- Twitter: @Eugene_Horan
- Instagram: @Eugene_horan
- www.EugeneHoran.com
