Michael Caine On His Retirement: 'You Don't Have Leading Men At 90'

British actor and two-time Oscar winner, Michael Caine, 90, recently announced his retirement. The veteran star, known for his numerous iconic roles, spoke about his decision during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today show with presenter Martha Kearney. He said that his part in the upcoming movie The Great Escaper will mark his final appearance on the big screen. He disclosed that he had considered retirement earlier and even declined three roles in recent years. However, the exciting opportunity to portray a World War 2 veteran who plans a daring escape from his care facility in the latest film drew him back for one last memorable act.

He said, “I keep saying I’m going to retire. Yeah, well I am now. I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and I got incredible reviews. What am I going to do that will beat this? The only parts I’m liable to get now are 90-year-old men or maybe 85. They’re not going to be the lead. 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.”

When discussing his retirement decision, Michael Caine explained, “I was sent a script actually and I looked at it and then I did something I’ve never done before. I counted how many pages I had, compared to the number of pages in the script. And it was 15 in a script which was 99 pages. And I thought, I think that counts as a small part, I’m not doing it. So I retired. 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.”

In The Great Escaper, the actor will be seen sharing the screen with the late Glenda Jackson, who passed away in June shortly after finishing her role in the film. This movie is inspired by a true story, revolving around a World War 2 veteran’s escape from a care facility to participate in the D-Day anniversary in France.

The film’s director, Oliver Parker, spoke about how careful they were with Michael Caine due to his age and physical challenges in an interview in The Telegraph. Parker mentioned that they took precautions to make sure Caine “wasn’t working too hard and having to negotiate him moving around at the pace he did.” To make this character relatable to the audience, the veteran actor had to show weakness effectively, which Parker was pleased to see him accomplish.

Other than his recent film, the actor is set to release a novel, titled Deadly Game, next month.