"Godfather" star Al Pacino has at last learned to laugh at himself and enjoy his celebrity.

The 73-year-old actor, who became an overnight star after 'The Godfather', said he was not ready for the glamour, reported Daily Express.

"To get to this stage has taken too long. I was not prepared for fame. It hit me hard and I did not have the capacity to cope. I've never liked the recognition, the questions, the publicity. I have often felt like running away and hiding. There has been a lot of self-doubt and unwelcome events in my life," he said.

Pacino produced some of his most telling work in one of his least-known and most criticised films, 'Bobby Deerfield', by revisiting his grief to play a self-obsessed loner.

"I might have been closer to that character and what he was going through than any I have played. The loneliness and isolation – I felt it every day," he added.

Pacino is currently dating young Argentinian actress Lucila Sola, 33.