More than 40 years later, Ralph Macchio paid back Francis Ford Coppola the best way he knew how at the director’s AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute.
During Saturday’s gala at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the actor recalled an important lesson the filmmaker taught him on the set of 1983’s The Outsiders, repaying him with a “symbol of gratitude” for giving him his breakout role.
“I remember early on, to help me understand my character better, Francis gave me $5 and told me to try to get through the day on just that,” recounted as he reunited with co-star C. Thomas Howell. “You know, I’ve often thought how I could ever repay him for all that he’s meant to me. And the truth is, I never will. But as a symbol of my gratitude, look under the centerpiece on the table, Francis. Go ahead, look under the centerpiece. There’s a five dollar bill.
After Coppola jokingly handed the bill over to George Lucas, Macchio continued, “Finally got that five dollars back. I put it there not to repay the debt, but truly as a symbol of lessons I learned from you over 40 years ago.”
Filmmaking peers like Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and more were also on hand to celebrate Coppola, as well as collaborators like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Elle Fanning and Diane Lane.
Ralph Macchio and Christopher Thomas Howell at the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute held at The Dolby Theatre on April 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
Michael Buckner/Deadline
The Life Achievement Award is AFI’s highest esteem for a career in film. Coppola’s predecessors include Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton and John Williams.
Coppola’s The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now are ranked among history’s greatest films in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list. A six-time Academy Award winner, his other iconic feature credits, as writer, director and/or producer, include Patton, American Graffiti, The Conversation, The Outsiders and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to name just a few.
The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10pm ET/PT with an encore on TCM July 31 at 8pm ET/PT.
Content shared from deadline.com.