Michael Caine Officially Retires From Acting

Michael Caine has decided to retire from the world of acting. BBC Radio 4 spoke to the actor and he said he's done. "I keep saying I'm going to retire. Well, I am now," Caine revealed. The Academy Award-winner has been acting for decades and his run will come to an end. The Great Escaper will be the final film featuring Caine, and he's the leading man in that picture. It's staggering to think about his 160 credits in movies and the sheer number of actors who have worked alongside him in some capacity. His performances in The Great Escaper is already drawing praise from various critics. But, that's not enough for him to stay around. Mostly because he can't really be a leading man anymore, by his own estimation. 

"I've figured, I've had a picture where I've played the lead and it's got incredible reviews… The only parts I'm liable to get now are 90-year-old men. Or maybe 85," Caine laughed with the host. "So I thought, I might as well leave with all this. I've got wonderful reviews. What am I going to do to beat this?"

With some of that trademark humor, he pointed out, "You don't have leading men at 90, you're going to have young handsome boys and girls."

Michael Caine's Been Eyeing Retirement

Previous interviews with Caine had been hinting at this possibility. Just last month, the actor sat down with The Telegraph to talk about his part in The Great Escaper. In that movie, Caine plays Bernard Jordan, an elderly fellow who escapes from his assisted living facility. After breaking out, he's whisked on a cross-country journey to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. With so much movement with a story like this, it's hard to believe the 90-year-old actor could keep up that kind of grind for much longer.

"I am bloody 90 now, and I can't walk properly and all that. I sort of am retired now," Caine began. "I was so happy to do it. I just loved the character of Bernie. I thought he was incredible, and it's so beautifully written. With Covid and all that, I hadn't done a picture for three years, and I thought I was finished. And I suddenly did it — and had such a wonderful time."

What Is The Great Escaper?

Pathe is bringing Michael Caine's last project to theaters with The Great Escaper. The venerated actor stars in the fun true story with Glenda Jackson. It feels like this small film will get a boost due to the news about their leading man. Here's how the studio describes The Great Escaper:

"In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines. He had staged a "great escape" from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary. It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, "can-do" spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn't the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man's need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war."

"Bernie's adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson) – THE GREAT ESCAPER celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation."

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