Since Friday, a stir has surrounded two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine, who sparked speculation about his retirement when he made comments to that effect on the BBC podcast, Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review.
Speaking about his latest film, Best Sellers (in which he plays a curmudgeonly alcoholic author), he said, "It has turned out to be my last part, really. Because I haven’t worked for two years and I have a spine problem, which affects my legs, so I can't walk very well." He continued on to say, "I also wrote a book—a couple of books, which were published and were successful, so I'm now not an actor, I'm a writer. Which is lovely because as an actor you have to get up by six in the morning and go to the studio. As a writer you can start writing without leaving the bed!"
Simon Mayo, asking for clarification, responded, "So you’re saying this is your last picture?" to which Caine replied, "Yeah, I think it would be, yeah. I don't have any…there haven't been any offers obviously for two years, because nobody's been making any movies I'd want to do. But also, you know, I'm 88. There's not exactly scripts pouring out with a leading man who's 88."
Shortly after this interview dropped, headlines everywhere were announcing Cain's retirement from acting. On Saturday, October 16, however, Caine responded to the rumors with a statement, announcing, "I’ve spent over 50 years getting up at 6am to make movies, and I’m not getting rid of my alarm clock!" He followed up this statement with a concise Tweet that read, "I haven't retired and not a lot of people know that."
I haven’t retired and not a lot of people know that
— Michael Caine (@themichaelcaine) October 16, 2021
Caine has been nominated for six Academy Awards throughout his career, which spans eight decades. He has earned two supporting actor Oscars for his performances in the 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters and the 1999 film The Cider House Rules. Caine also appeared in Neil Simon's 1978 film adaptation of his play California Suite, and starred opposite Noël Coward in the 1969 comedy The Italian Job. His new film, Best Sellers, was released in the United States and Canada on September 17 by Screen Media Films and Mongrel Media.
