Al Pacino plays disgraced Penn State coach in trailer for HBO’s Paterno

By Kevin Fraser

Posted 8 years ago

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Joe Paterno was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for over four decades, and was regarded as a legend after becoming the most victorious coach in NCAA FBS history, but in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, that legacy came crashing down as questions began swirling regarding just how much Paterno knew about the scandal before it came out. Barry Levinson's upcoming HBO film PATERNO will dive into the scandal and stars Al Pacino as Joe Paterno. The latest trailer for the film looks suitably intense, especially in those chilling final moments, and Pacino is always worth a watch.

Al Pacino spoke of the real Joe Paterno while chatting with IndieWire, saying, "The question isn’t just what he knew, it’s what he did about it. I think he knew there were complaints. He knew there were rumors. […] I don’t think he was very fond of Sandusky, for whatever reasons — I think there were other reasons… He did act upon it. He did say he thought someone should look into this. [But] a guy like Paterno — he’s like an emperor, he’s like a king. He didn’t take up with it because it was out of his control. And I think this is a character who’s used to control." PATERNO also stars Riley Keough, Kathy Baker, Greg Grunberg, Annie Parisse, and Larry Mitchell.

About the Author

Kevin Fraser

News Editor

11,667 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: Alien, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, read more Braveheart, The Bridge on the River Kwai, City of God, Cloud Atlas, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Edge, The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Godfather Parts I & II, Goodfellas, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Magnificent Seven, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Prestige, Prisoners, Psycho, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rear Window, The Shining, Sorcerer, The Talented Mr. Ripley, There Will be Blood, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Zodiac

Likes: Drawing, cooking, watching movies, trying and failing to come up with read more more items for my likes list.

The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.

What’s Not Allowed

Abusive language, insults, or harassment toward other users or staff.
Hate speech of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Bickering, bullying, personal attacks, or baiting others to argue
Extended off-topic debates, especially those centered on politics or religion rather than the article topic
No AI content or SPAM