Michael Caine bids farewell to acting after 'The Great Escaper,' says there are 'no leading men at 90'
LONDON, ENGLAND: The legendary actor Sir Michael Caine, 90, has decided to hang up his boots after a stellar career that spanned over 160 films and countless memorable roles.
He said he wanted to retire on a high note after receiving rave reviews for his last film 'The Great Escaper' directed by Oliver Parker.
How did Michael Caine announce his retirement?
Michael, who was born in southeast London as the son of a fishmonger, said he had no intention of taking any more roles and was happy with his final performance.
“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” he said on BBC Radio 4’s 'Best of Today' podcast.
He added that 'The Great Escaper' was his last acting job, “I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews."
"The only parts I’m going to get now are old men – 90-year-old men, or maybe 85 and they're not going to be the lead," he said.
"You don't have leading men at 90, you're going to have young handsome boys and girls. So I thought, I might as well leave with all this," he continued.
"I’ve got wonderful reviews. What am I going to do to beat this?” he said in reference to the 'The Great Escaper' as reported by BBC.
What is 'The Great Escaper' all about?
The film, which came out this month, is based on a true story and stars Michael as Bernie Jordan, a World War II veteran who escapes from his nursing home and takes a ferry to France to attend the D-Day anniversary celebrations.
He said he had turned down the last film three times before he finally said yes as he considered himself retired.
He also praised his co-star, the late Glenda Jackson, who played his wife in the film and the director Oliver Parker, who said Sir Michael had a “charisma” and a “sheer presence” that made him stand out.
Michael Caines won two Oscars and four Golden Globes
Michael who was also a Labour MP for many years started his acting career in the theatre in the early 1950s, before making his film debut in 1956.
He went on to become one of the most acclaimed and versatile actors of his generation, winning two Oscars and four Golden Globes.
Some of his most iconic roles include Alfie, Harry Palmer, Jack Carter, Charlie Croker, Ebenezer Scrooge, Alfred Pennyworth, The Italian Job, and Harry Brown.
The latest role he considered doing but later refused
The other role he considered doing after 'The Great Escaper' but eventually refused was when he was saw the script.
He looked at it and "I did something I've never done before, "I counted how many pages I had, compared to the number of pages in the script."
When he saw 15 pages of dialogue, he thought it counted as a small part.
He said, "I'm not doing it. So I retired." He added: "I thought, I'm ahead here, I may do a little part and get a bad review... so I thought, why not leave now? So I've left."