The acting icon Michael Caine “was a great fan of”
When most actors start out, they can only dream of having a body of work as diverse and illustrious as the one Michael Caine built over the years. Having been nominated for an Oscar in five separate decades, Caine didn’t just deliver strong performances but also maintained a longevity that is definitely not the norm in the film industry.
While he was involved in the theatrical world during the early years of his career, it was cinema that first showed him the possibility of being an actor. While several younger generations of aspiring artists have looked to Caine for inspiration, the English actor had his own set of acting idols who represented not just cinematic excellence but also an unachievable kind of coolness.
During a conversation with Esquire, Caine was once asked about the influences that shaped him throughout his formative years. The revered veteran did not hesitate to cite The Lone Ranger as a primary reason why he fell in love with cinema, but he also went on to name the icons who showed him how skilful you needed to be in order to make it in the business.
“I didn’t want to be The Lone Ranger,” he said. “I wanted to be the actor who played him. That’s a whole difference. And then I grew up with Humphrey Bogart. Spencer Tracy. I loved those guys. The only thing was, people of my class and region didn’t become actors. If you did, you played a Cockney spiv. You’re not going to get a romantic lead in a movie with Anna Neagle, you know? Michael Wilding got all those.”
Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy would be at the top of anybody’s list if they were fans of Hollywood’s Golden Age. However, there’s one particular star who left a particularly strong impression on Caine because he realised that he would never be able to reach that level. Coming from an actor of his calibre, that’s definitely the highest form of praise.
When asked whether he has been underrated by some critics, Caine responded: “No, I’m not. I made it look too easy, yes. I’ve been my own worst enemy in that funny way. I was a great fan of Brando’s. When you look at Brando, you go, ‘Oh, I’d like to be like that, but I’ll never be like that.’ When you look at me, you go, ‘Oh, he’s just like me.’ That’s the difference.”
Caine did get the opportunity to meet his hero for the first time under strange circumstances when he accompanied director Sidney Furie to the set of The Appaloosa because Brando did not respect Furie at all. It was Caine who ended up easing tensions on set by making the Hollywood legend laugh, something that the crew must have thought was almost impossible before Caine arrived.
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