The co-star who had no idea who Michael Caine was: “This was so embarrassing”
You’d think that by the 1980s, there wasn’t a single person working in Hollywood and beyond who hadn’t heard of Michael Caine.
Having risen to prominence two decades prior in movies like Zulu and Alfie, the actor became one of the most well-known stars in Britain, instantly recognisable with his thick-rimmed glasses and Cockney accent.
The actor made a swift transition to Hollywood as the years progressed, aided by his Oscar nomination for Alfie, and soon he was appearing in everything from Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill to Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters. Working with acclaimed filmmakers and scooping up plenty of accolades, Caine cemented his star status, but for a certain co-star of his, she had no idea she was in the presence of such an icon.
The thing is, Hollywood has always had an age problem, so it’s no surprise that Caine’s love interest in the film Blame It On Rio, played by Michelle Johnson, had no idea who he was. She was just 17. Directed by Stanley Donen of Singin’ in the Rain fame, this romantic comedy was much more controversial, with the film exploring an affair between a middle-aged man and his friend’s teenage daughter.
You’d hope that in casting the teenage role, an adult would be chosen – the part required nudity and copious bikini-clad scenes – but of course, an actual 17-year-old made the cut. In fact, she needed legal and parental permission to appear naked in the film, and sadly, her supposed guardians did little to protect her. It’s incredibly concerning that this was allowed, but this kind of exploitative culture was terrifyingly normalised back then.
Johnson was hypersexualised in the role, which was also her first experience of acting. She had been cast by Donen after he saw an image of her in a magazine, and while this proved to be the start of her career, you can’t help but feel repulsed by the whole thing. She wasn’t even an adult.
This explains why she wasn’t familiar with Caine’s work, though, which led her to educate herself on his career. She told The Oklahoman, “I didn’t even know who Michael Caine was. This was so embarrassing. So I called a friend who’s older than me. She goes to movies a lot. And she said, ‘Oh, that’s that Kung Fu guy.’ She was getting him mixed up with David Carradine.”
Eventually, she figured out just who Caine actually was. “I immediately went out and saw Alfie and The Man Who Would be King and Sleuth. I was very nervous at the audition, especially after seeing those movies.” She evidently smashed her audition, though, managing to hold her own alongside Caine despite the fact that she was fresh out of high school and had never acted before.
It’s strange to think how normalised this kind of thing was even into the 1980s – you would’ve hoped that it might have got left behind in the 1970s – but Hollywood certainly is a strange place. The teenager soon got to know who her co-star was, though, and the pair delivered performances that would garner significant controversy.
Sadly for Johnson, she would earn a nomination for ‘Worst New Star’ at the Golden Raspberry Awards, which didn’t kick her career off to a good start. Blame It On Rio was a poor entry into the careers of both Caine and Donen, which is certainly best forgotten.
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