The set Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman couldn’t stay awake on: “They went from snoring to being 120% ready”
As well as being two of the most respected veterans in all of cinema, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman have struck up a friendship that’s seen them work together on half a dozen movies.
It was understandable why they didn’t cross paths until the mid-2000s, considering the majority of films only had room in their cast for one Academy Award-winning fountain of gravitas who lent support to play a kindly father figure and/or wizened sage ready to dispense nuggets of wisdom at a moment’s notice, but Christopher Nolan decided there was room for both.
Batman Begins marked the first time Caine and Freeman appeared in the same production, and after reprising their respective roles as Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox in sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, they did much the same again – albeit with a twist – in sleight of hand heist caper Now You See Me and its follow-up.
For their sixth collaboration, they partnered up with another Oscar-winning elder statesman in Alan Arkin for Going in Style, a remake of the 1979 romp of the same name. Directed by Zach Braff, the trio play mischievous older gentlemen who decide to take matters into their own hands when their pension funds are swallowed up and rendered obsolete by corporate corruption.
Refusing to be limited by the shackles of their geriatric status, they opt to stage an elaborate bank heist to reclaim what’s rightfully theirs, with some added interest thrown in for good measure. A decent-sized hit at the box office, Going in Style hardly reinvented the wheel but offered enough light-hearted banter and chemistry between the leads to make it the ideal viewing for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
That untaxing approach apparently filtered onto the set, too, with Arkin telling The Hollywood News that neither Caine nor Freeman were particularly skilled at staying awake when they weren’t required in front of the camera. The pair were constantly catching 40 winks, but like the old pros they are, they would burst into life the second they heard their names being called.
“I remember walking past Michael and Morgan, who were dozing off in their chairs on set. But when they heard the director yell, ‘Action!’, they became like two bombs going off simultaneously,” Arkin shared. “There was no transition. They went from snoring to being 120% ready. I just couldn’t believe it! They were like thoroughbreds at the starting gate.”
It must have been a strange experience for Braff to have three iconic performers in his midst, only for two of them to make a habit of dozing off. Of course, as Arkin said, they were only resting their eyeballs ahead of what was to come, with Caine and Freeman maintaining the ability to go from snoozing to showcasing their impeccable craftsmanship at the drop of a hat.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Michael Caine Newsletter
All the latest stories about Michael Caine from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.