Michael Caine got candid about the reality of being a working actor at 90 as he explained his potential retirement.
After over 70 years in show business, Caine said he is now “sort of” retired from acting before explaining how he came to the decision in an interview with The Telegraph. “I am bloody 90 now, and I can’t walk properly and all that,” he said. “I’ve had the best possible life I could have thought of. The best possible wife, and the best possible family. They may not be a family that other people would say is the best possible family — but the best possible family for me.”
When asked what he wants to be remembered for, Caine conbtinued, “The fact that I remained an actor all my life, and I never went into anything else. I never left, I never wanted to leave.”
If Caine commits to retirement, then his final film will be the upcoming The Great Escape which is directed by Oliver Parker. The film, co-starring Glenda Jackson, is based on the true story of Bernard “Bernie” Jordan, a Royal Navy veteran who disappeared from his old age home at 89 to travel to France so he could attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Caine said he used a “very good walking stick” in the movie, which also played into the role. Parker also added that the team behind the British–French drama film ensured the actor didn’t work too hard. The Great Escape is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures UK and is scheduled for release on 6 October 2023.
Michael Caine Has Been Considering Retirement
Retirement has been on Caine's mind for many years. He previously declared that he was retired in 2015 after starring in Youth, a comedy-drama film written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. He went on to make at least 14 more movies to date. In 2020, he starred in three films: Come Away, Four Kids and It, and Tenet, which was directed by frequent collaborator Christopher Nolan. In 2021, he said that his role in Lina Roessler’s comedy Best Sellers could be the last of his career. However, he went on to star in the English-language Czech historical drama Medieval.
His remarkable career spans eight decades. Caine has received numerous prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Caine's acting journey began in the 1950s when he landed his first film role in A Hill in Korea in 1956. He gained fame in the 1960s with roles in movies like Zulu, The Ipcress File, Alfie and The Italian Job.
Caine later won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as Elliot in Woody Allen's comedy Hannah and Her Sisters and as Dr. Wilbur Larch in Lasse Hallström's drama The Cider House Rules. Caine is also known for playing Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol and for his comedic roles in Austin Powers in Goldmember, and Secondhand Lions. Later in his career, Caine was introduced to a new audience for his portrayal of Alfred Pennyworth in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy from 2005 to 2012.
Source: The Telegraph