Al Pacino reportedly regrets not marrying Diane Keaton, with whom he dated for nearly 20 years.
Keaton, who died Saturday in California at the age of 79, played Pacino’s girlfriend in The Godfather trilogy and they began dating in 1974. The pair ended their relationship in 1990 after Keaton gave Pacino an ultimatum and Pacino refused to promise to marry him.
Pacino, 85, now wishes he had married the late actress, sources said in an article published Sunday in the Daily Mail.
“He will forever regret not taking the decision when he had the chance,” a friend of the legendary actor told the magazine. “In the years since he and Diane broke up, Al used to say, ‘If you want to start over, it’s never too late to start over.’ But unfortunately, that’s the case now.”
“Looking back, Al admits that the love of his life was Diane, whom he always called ‘an amazing woman,'” the friend added.
The source also said Keaton and Pacino never spoke, even though they lived near Beverly Hills.
“Once we asked why, they said, ‘We don’t need to talk to each other. We’ve said everything we need to say at that point,'” the source said.
Pacino’s representatives did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Keaton reflected on his relationship with Pacino in a 2017 interview with The Sunday Times, saying that in retrospect he wished the two had never married.
“I didn’t even want him to propose, I just thought he might marry me eventually,” she recalled.
“I thought, ‘Let’s not even propose, let’s just do it,'” she continued. “But that never happened. It’s a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.”
The Oscar-winning actress told the magazine that ultimately the two were not a good fit.
“We were very eccentric and he needed a woman to take care of him and I needed a man to take care of me…It was very important that we leave each other alone and say goodbye,” she said. “But it wasn’t my choice.”
Keaton previously admitted that he fell in love with Pacino while filming the 1972 film The Godfather, and that he had a crush on him at first sight.
“I was mad at him,” Keaton told People magazine in 2017 of his ex-girlfriend, “a charming, funny, nonstop talker.” “He had this lost orphan, this kind of crazy, stupid academic side to him. And, oh, gorgeous!”
Keaton never married, but adopted two children, daughter Dexter (29) and son Duke (25), in his 50s. Pacino has also never been married. He has four children. Julie Marie (35 years old), twins Anton and Olivia (24 years old) and son Roman (2 years old).
Pacino made a rare public appearance in 2017 at the 45th AFI Lifetime Achievement Tribute honoring Keaton.
“You’re an artist, Di,” he told her during his speech. “You are an amazing artist.…I love you forever.”
The “Scent of a Woman” actor isn’t the only former actor who is reportedly struggling to get over Keaton’s death.
Woody Allen, with whom Keaton dated for several years in the early ’70s and co-starred in several films, said he was “extremely distraught” at Keaton’s death.
