The actor Michael Caine called a star of the future: “I had to spit in his face”
Rising to prominence in the 1960s with roles in movies like Zulu, Alfie, and The Ipcress File, Michael Caine established himself as one of Britain’s most well-known actors, ushering in a new era for up-and-coming-stars. He was from a working-class background and had spent years taking on small and often uncredited roles in films throughout the 1950s in an attempt to break through into the industry, doing all he could to escape a mundane life.
“I decided to be an actor because I thought it would be a lot better than working in a factory, which I was doing at the time. I just set out to do it and I never expected any money or any fame,” he once said (via The Guardian). The actor went on to find great success in Hollywood as well as his native England, starring in everything from The Italian Job and Get Carter to Educating Rita, Jaws: The Revenge, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
He certainly has a varied filmography under his belt, even becoming a regular collaborator with Christopher Nolan in the 2000s with a role as Alfred Pennyworth in the Dark Knight trilogy. However, he has never forgotten his roots in gritty British films, and in 2009 he starred in Harry Brown, which saw him play a war veteran who takes action against the troubled, violent youths terrorising his neighbourhood.
The film saw Caine star alongside several young actors who were getting their start in the industry, including Jack O’Connell. The actor, who appeared alongside his This Is England co-star Joe Gilgun and his Skins co-star Klariza Clayton in the film, delivered an unforgettable performance. The movie certainly harvested a crop of promising new faces, but it was O’Connell that Caine was most impressed with.
The actor, who had endured a troubled childhood that saw him running into trouble with the law for many years, found his calling in acting as a teenager, making his film debut with a supporting role in This Is England as one of the boys who become influenced by fascist ideology. He arguably made his breakthrough with Skins, however, appearing as Cook, one of generation two’s most memorable characters. A cheeky, laddish type who sleeps around, has a penchant for drugs, and isn’t afraid to be violent when he needs to be, the performance showed O’Connell’s range, with his portrayal uncovering a more vulnerable, softer side of the character that charmed many viewers.
His appearance in Skins came during the same year he appeared in Harry Brown, and Caine was sure that his young co-star was heading for success, reportedly calling him a “star of the future” while filming. Talking to The Guardian, O’Connell revealed, “Michael Caine had me tied up to a chair, interrogating me. I had to spit in his face, which was massively daunting. I think it was doing that that caused him to come out with that. I’ve not forgotten it. It was totally mind-blowing for a 19-year-old to be working with someone like Michael Caine, a hugely important actor for young, working-class actors.”
Since then, O’Connell has appeared in SAS: Rogue Heroes, ’71, Unbroken, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Ferrari, and Sinners, as well as starring in the highly-anticipated upcoming horror movie 28 Years Later. It seems as though O’Connell’s career is only on the up, and it won’t be long before he is even more widely known in Hollywood.
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