10 Questions for Al Pacino

Do you think Italian-American culture is represented unfairly in film and on TV? --Jeff Palatini, Columbus, OH Explain to me what Italian-American culture is. We've been here 100 years. Isn't Italian-American culture American culture? That's because we're so diverse, in terms of intermarriage. Most everybody who's Italian is half Italian. Except me. I'm all Italian. I'm mostly Sicilian, and I have a little bit of Neapolitan in me. You get your full dose with me.

How do you feel about all those hip-hop artists on MTV's Cribs who have Scarface shrines? --Ricky Baizas, Manila The most popular movie I've ever made is Scarface, all over the world. It's amazing to me. It's wonderful. We sometimes forget that it was Oliver Stone who wrote it. He is a political creature, and I think that is an undercurrent in the movie. And the combination of him and Brian De Palma made for this kind of fusion or explosion. It worked.

After your lifetime-achievement award, do you feel more secure in the business than you did in, say, 1977? --Marie Craddock, Palm Bay, FL I'm secure in knowing things I would like to do [professionally]. But you need some insecurity if you're an actor. It keeps the pot boiling. I haven't yet started to think about retiring. I was shocked when I heard about Paul Newman retiring at age 82. Most actors just fade away like old soldiers.

Who does the best Al Pacino impression? --Quan Ha, Littleton, CO Certainly not me. Kevin Spacey comes close. Jamie Foxx does a good rendition of me. It's a real gift, mimicry of that kind, the tonal thing. It's sort of like having a talent for playing an instrument.

What event in your childhood had the most impact on the way you now look at the world? --Don Carmen Schimizzi, Rochester, NY It would probably be the early films my mother took me to when I was just a baby. When my mother got home from work, she would take me to the movies. It was her way of getting out, and she would take me with her. I'd go home and act all the parts. It had a tremendous influence on my becoming an actor.

Do you feel you've fulfilled your vision in the films you've directed? --Ignacio Meza, Los Angeles In Looking for Richard I had a clear vision. Salomaybe?, this movie I'm making now [about staging Oscar Wilde's play Salome], is the first time I ever had a passion without a vision and hoped that my passion would lead me to a vision. I think that's because I don't consider myself a full-time director. Acting is my deal. I look at the world as an actor looks at the world 'cause that's been my whole life.

Do you regret turning down any roles? --Sara Orozco, Bogota I do. There was a period in my life when I was turning down parts for no reason except I didn't want to work. That's way back in the '70s. Even now it's very hard to know yourself as an actor. Only once in a while do you get a feeling for a role. I recommend watching The Dresser. It's a great movie if you want to know about actors.

Are you a happy person? --Nerissa Quizon, Manila Happy? I haven't figured that out yet. I have my days. There are moments when you have feelings of well-being, a certain peace. There are periods when that's more frequent than others. My children make me happy.

If a movie were to be made about your life, what would it be called, and who would play you? --Danijela Grbavac, Toronto It would be called The Dustin Hoffman Story. When we were starting out, [Robert] De Niro, me and Hoffman were always sort of mixed up. People mistook us for each other.

I know you are a private person, but I hear that you can really dance. Would you consider doing Dancing with the Stars? --Rita J. Brown, Minneapolis Actually, I would consider it. All due respect and trying to be as modest as I can be, I am a dancer. But I don't think I would be on Dancing with the Stars mainly because I would be too shy.

TIME's interview with the hollywood icon continues on Time.com. Click to read our extra questions with Al Pacino. Also, to submit questions for upcoming 10 Q subjects, go to time.com/10questions.

TIME's interview with the award-winning actor continues on Time.com. Read these extra questions with Al Pacino.

Have you ever thought about teaching? --Susan Olson in Vero Beach, FL I don't feel I'm a teacher. Teachers have a certain talent for it. They get a certain pleasure out of it and it means something to them and they give that off. I'm just not that. I've actually never thought about and I don't think I would ever think about it. I just express myself and hope somebody relates to it. I've been around teachers my whole life and when you get around the great ones it's a really magnificent thing. It changes your life. There have been occasions when I've moderated at the Actor's Studio, which means you sit in session where professional actors come who are working things out in various scenes and the moderator talks about what they're doing. These are terrifying moments for me. You never know what you can say, 'cause an actor is in a very vulnerable position. You sort of don't want to say the wrong thing. I've seen actors hurt for years over something that was unnecessary and didn't have to be said.

Can film be used as a teaching tool and if so what have you learned from watching films? --Diego Sada Jr. in Monterrey, Mexico All art is a teaching tool, especially the art of film. You're talking to someone who literally got my education through the theater and through movies because I had to learn how to play different roles. Therefore I had to track them down and find out who these people are that I was playing and what worlds they operated in and what that was all about. I never went to college. Everything I know, I know from that.

What other career would you have had had you not gone into acting? --Stacey Fuentes in Reno, Nevada I once played a short-order cook in a movie called Frankie and Johnny. If I had to do anything it would be a short-order cook. The one thing I would never do is being a moving man because I did it and moving furniture from house to house is tough stuff. That I would never do.

Did you ever think of playing the bad guy in Heat instead of the cop? --Daniel Szczepankiewicz, stationed in Baghdad As a matter of fact I sort of liked the idea of playing the cop, because I thought he had these complications and contradictions. In that movie my character shipped cocaine but nobody knew it because the couple of scenes that I did it in were cut out. So there was that element too that was appealing to me, this intense detective who indulged himself and had a very mixed up unhappy life.

When you stand in front of the mirror, what do you see? --Martha Zak in Warsaw, Poland It's what I try not to see. I just see me looking at me and that's as far as it goes. I go into a zone. Do I need a shave? Is my hair too long? Am I having a good day? Do I need to wash my face yet again? That's as far as it goes.

Which actors have contributed to making your directing vision come to life? --Ignacio Meza in Los Angeles My passion to do this, engage myself in this, whatever you want to call it, my putting together this thing called Salomaybe?, which is a combination of Oscar Wilde, myself, and Salome. I was lead by a passion to explore it, not really knowing what direction I was going, but hoping the passion would lead me. When I see things I put them in acting terms. Not like I want to paint that or I want to film that, it's more that would be an interesting thing to act. You're always seeing moments and you get tuned to that kind of a thing with people. You're trying to take the light, which is on you a lot of the time especially if you are successful and famous and put it on something else so that you can explore it.

Who do you think would win in a fight, George Clooney or Brad Pitt? --Luke Denker in Belton, Missouri I'm actually visualizing it and you know what? I can't. I can't see those two guys fighting, because they're just so funny. They're too funny to fight. They're very funny guys and they're a lot of fun to be with and very generous and gentle. I think it'd be a draw. OK? Let me cop out.