Good morning, friends!

Al Pacino may be the most beloved film villain in America. Over his 50-year acting career, Pacino has pursued roles as a gangster, mobster, violent drug lord, bank robber, and even the devil himself.

Pacino’s iconic films include The Godfather, Serpico, Scarface, The Devil’s Advocate, The Irishman, and Scent of a Woman.

A sign of a great actor is that they make their job look easy — and there’s no one who makes it look easier than Pacino. His performance as Michael Corleone is widely regarded as one of the greatest screen performances in film history. Each of Pacino’s films demonstrates his range and serves as a masterclass for aspiring actors.

In light of his new memoir that comes out this week, Sonny Boy, he sat for a longform New York Times interview. When asked about inhabiting different personalities as an actor, Pacino said:

“There are some actors who are more or less mimics and others that are pretending to be somebody else, but then you’re not pretending anymore. You absorb it enough times, and you become it. But that requires a certain amount of focus and acumen and time. Everything to me is time. It’s like, you paint your house, and you start painting one of the rooms and then you go and you paint another room and then you paint that room again and by the time you’ve painted about 40 or 50 of them, you’re a different painter.”

This is exactly why I think Pacino’s performances never feel forced. He makes them so believable because he seems so natural playing the role.

Like Pacino says, he doesn’t pretend, he becomes. The actor finds a sliver of himself in the characters he’s about to embody, and he steps into their inner world.

Acting, according to Pacino, is about “getting into a state that brings about freedom and expression and the unconscious.”

“If you know what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, what you’re talking about and who you’re talking about and how you feel when you talk about it, then you don’t have to act it,” Pacino says.

The best pieces of art, whether they are books, songs, or films, connect with their audience on a visceral, emotional level. Form an emotional connection with your reader or end user, and you’ll find that your work will resonate much more deeply.

(PS: This may be a controversial take, but I think ‘Scent of a Woman’ is one of Al Pacino’s best films. If you haven’t seen it, I HIGHLY recommend.)

— Polina

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PROFILES.

— Larry Page’s money man [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— Hollywood’s favorite gangster
— The cancelled comedian explaining himself
— The greatest ultrarunner of all time
— The ugly bags that won over American moms
— The restaurant that will make you queasy

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

Larry Page’s money man: Wayne Osborne is the man who has overseen Google co-founder Larry Page’s life and finances since 2012. As the CEO of Koop, Page’s family office, Osborne has shrouded his employer in a level of privacy that’s nearly unparalleled in the modern era — keeping Page’s name out of business documents, court records, and news headlines. Now, in a surprising move, the man who has enabled Page to live in the shadows is coming out of the shadows himself. (Business Insider; alternate link)

“Wayne operates in the shadows.”

Hollywood’s favorite gangster: Al Pacino has been one of the world’s greatest, most influential actors for more than 50 years. Though he can go small and internal, Pacino’s ability to really emote is one of his singular gifts. That’s why the best Pacino is crowd-pleasing Hollywood movie star ’90s Pacino. Now, with his forthcoming memoir, “Sonny Boy,” which is being published this month, Pacino reflects on his legendary career. (The New York Times; alternate link) (For more, check out Al Pacino’s Profile Dossier here.)

“Somehow I felt as though my life was saved by acting.

The cancelled comedian explaining himself: Not so long ago, Hasan Minhaj was a comedian at the zenith of his powers: an audacious storyteller and TV host whose take on the culture could rearrange an audience’s perspective on the world. He transformed stand-up through performances rich with visual media. Then he got cancelled. He felt the wrath of the Internet and lost a career-defining job amid the controversy. Now he’s back with a YouTube interview series, a new Netflix special, and a fresh perspective. (Esquire)

“The toughest thing about being a performer is that everyone is a character in your life. I have to balance that they have to win and I have to lose. You never get it right, you know.”

The greatest ultrarunner of all time: In 2023, Courtney Dauwalter became the first person, male or female, to win the Triple Crown, the three most iconic 100-mile races in the world, in a single season. Ultrarunning is defined by type-A personalities: meticulous, rigid, detail-oriented, even obsessed. Courtney Dauwalter, 38, is the exception to the rule. Dauwalter does not have a coach or a strict training plan. She’s never been on Strava and doesn’t plan races far ahead of time. She runs in long shorts and baggy clothes because, she says, they are more comfortable. She eats candy while training and drinks beer afterwards, because that’s what makes her the most happy. Here’s how she became the greatest of all time. (The Guardian; For more, check out Courtney Dauwalter’s Profile Dossier here.)

“I’m motivated by the puzzle.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The ugly bags that won over American moms: For a certain type of American woman—busy suburban moms, teachers and health-care workers, in particular—a Bogg tote is suddenly the hottest thing. The company jumped from about $3.6 million in sales in 2019 to a projected $100 million this year. That growth has come almost entirely from word of mouth, a trend propelled by people rarely credited as trendsetters. The bag itself is a boxy, bright tote bags that looks to be constructed from the same pliable, perforated plastic as Crocs. So why is it so popular? (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“You didn’t know if people were buying them because they felt bad for you.”

The restaurant that will make you queasy: Alchemist is one of the most sought-after reservations in the fine-dining world. Less than a year after opening, it was awarded two Michelin stars. It features a tasting menu of about 40 courses which is served four nights a week for five or six hours, in a sequence of spectacular spaces. One of its most peculiar dishes is called “the eyeball,” which features an edible “pupil” filled with minced shrimp, raw peas, roasted pistachios, and crème fraîche. The queasiness? It’s on purpose. (The New Yorker; alternate link)

“Is it ‘gastronomic opera,’ or sensory overload?”

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