Almost 45 years ago, Al Pacino made his controversial 1980 film Cruising wouldn’t age well.

In his new memoir Sunny boythe Oscar winner admitted that he found the film “exploitative” of the LGBTQ community upon its release, and revealed that he donated his wages from the William Friedkin-helmed film to various charities.

He explained that he was interested in “pushing the boundaries” but that the project “became very controversial during production”, with protesters on set “almost every day”, concerned that the film would target the LGBTQ community in a negative light, thus People.

Loosely based on Gerald Walker’s 1970 novel, Cruising Pacino plays Detective Steve Burns, who goes undercover in the S&M bars of New York City to catch a serial killer who is viciously murdering the city’s gay men.

Pacino found Cruising ‘exploitative’ when the film was released in 1980, and ultimately ‘stayed silent’ rather than promoting the film.

“I took the money, and it was a lot, and put it in an irrevocable trust fund,” he explained. “I gave it to charity, and the interest allowed it to last a few decades. I don’t know if it has eased my conscience, but at least the money has done something good.”

The actor noted that he “didn’t want to make it a PR stunt. I just wanted one positive thing to come out of that whole experience.”

Friedkin, who died last year at the age of 87, previously admitted this Cruising “wasn’t the best step forward for the gay rights movement, but I never intended the film to be critical of gays,” he told The Wrap in 2013.

“I just thought the S&M world would be a good setting for a murder mystery, but in no way did I intend for it to reflect the gay lifestyle,” Friedkin explains. “I understood at the time that people trying to achieve gay rights would not appreciate such a cool image. It is still very difficult, very sharp and ambiguous.”