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Tim McGraw has likely had many inspirations throughout his decades-long career as one of country music’s biggest artists, but one person who stands out to him is Al Pacino.
McGraw recently reflected on his previous career goals, crediting the actor with sparking his aspirations to study law. The “7500 OBO” artist said he wanted to be a lawyer “as long as I could remember.” He set his sights on wanting to become a defense attorney after seeing And Justice for All, a 1979 film starring Pacino. The movie follows a lawyer who is “forced to defend a guilty judge, while defending other innocent clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent,” its description reads. McGraw recently said in a statement shared by his record label:
“I wanted to be a lawyer, as long as I could remember. In fact, I think I was 11, 12, 13 years old and I saw And Justice for All with Al Pacino. And from that point on I always wanted to be a defense attorney. I went to college to be a lawyer, and then I picked up a guitar and started playing music, so that all went out the window. So, if there was something I’d wanna learn more about, it’d be the law and government. I’m sort of a political junkie, so I would like to learn more about that, and probably history. I’m a big history fan as well.”
McGraw has previously reflected on the days he wanted to be a lawyer, and how his career goals shifted. He once remembered, after starting his pre-law education, calling his mom to “tell her that I was gonna drop outta school and move to Nashville and play music.” Luckily, it all paid off: “And when I did, she said, ‘I’m surprised you haven’t done it already. And if you don’t try you’ll never know.’”