Al Pacino says he donated his entire paycheck from his 1980 movie Cruising to charity after coming to the consensus that the film was “exploitative” of the LGBTQ+ community, the actor reveals in his new memoir, Sonny Boy: A Memoir.

Directed by The Exorcist and The French Connection‘s William Friedkin, Cruising follows 39-year-old Pacino as an NYPD detective who is tasked with going undercover at the city’s gay clubs in order to catch a serial killer who has been prowling there.

Noting that the film “became very controversial during its production,” Pacino recalls seeing protesters who suspected the film would paint the queer community in a negative light outside of the production “almost every day,” he says in his memoir, out now.

By the time the movie was released, Pacino had come to the conclusion that it was “exploitative” and “remained quiet,” choosing not to promote the movie on a press tour.

Instead, he says he donated his earnings to charity.

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“I took the money, and it was a lot, and I put it in an irrevocable trust fund,” he says in Sonny Boy. “I gave it to charities, and with the interest, it was able to last a couple of decades. I don’t know if it eased my conscience, but at least the money did some good.”

He didn’t announce the move at the time because he “didn’t want to make it a PR stunt. I just wanted one positive thing to come out of that whole experience.”

More on Al Pacino and Cruising

Al Pacino in Cruising, United Artists – Credit: C/O

Friedkin, who died last year at age 87, has also reflected critically on Cruising.

He told TheWrap in 2013 that he felt the film “was not the best foot forward for the gay rights movement, but I never intended the film to be critical of gays”

“I just thought the S&M world would make a good backdrop for a murder mystery, but I did not in any way mean for it to reflect the gay lifestyle,” he added. “I understood at the time that people who were trying to achieve gay rights were not going to appreciate such a tough picture. It’s still very tough, very hard edged and ambiguous.”

Released six years after Pacino’s Oscar-nominated role as mobster Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II, Cruising did just okay at the box office, bringing in a total gross of $19 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

However, not everyone in the LGBTQ+ community was against it. According to a University of Wisconsin film blog Cinematheque, the film employed 1,600 queer men, many of whom were part of the real leather subculture and who hoped the film would give mainstream attention to a small facet of within the queer community.

The film currently has a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, and has received mixed reviews from critics. For those looking to draw their own conclusion about the film, it’s currently available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.

Main Image: Al Pacino in Cruising, United Artists