The movie Michael Caine considered a “big disappointment”
Every actor stars in their fair share of shitty films if they’re lucky enough to have a career that spans decades, with Michael Caine one of many distinguished veterans happy to hold their hands up and admit they’ve made a stinker.
However, the veteran always managed to shine a positive light on the worst entries in his filmography, with Caine drawing at least one valuable experience from his professional low points. Most famously, he knew Jaws: The Revenge was terrible, but he wasn’t too cut up about being unable to collect his first Academy Award in person because he was well-compensated for his efforts.
Similarly, creature feature The Swarm was an utterly diabolical motion picture, but Caine was grateful for the opportunity to share an ensemble with so many legends and Oscar winners. It’s admirable to be constantly looking up from the bottom of the barrel, and it was key to the star embarking on his new era as one of cinema’s most feted elder statesmen.
Working in the freezing cold of Russia shooting back-to-back made-for-television spy sequels with Sean Connery’s son was singled out as the worst moment of Caine’s entire career, but he used the jumping-off point to be more selective about his roles, which saw him gradually clamber back towards the top of the industry ladder.
Curiously, though, the two-time Oscar once voiced his disappointment over a feature that was widely acclaimed. Caine was shortlisted in the ‘Best Actor’ category for his contributions, and while he maintained that it was some of the best work he’d ever done, he was quietly seething that the rest of the people involved in The Quiet American were shut out of awards season.
The literary adaptation earned just one nod apiece at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Baftas, all of which went to Caine. As he explained to IGN, he felt the wartime drama was deserving of better. “Sometimes, in a part, everything comes together, and for me it was the best part I ever got” he said. “And it was the best I’d ever done with anything.”
And yet, when director Philip Noyce, screenwriters Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan, and other members of the crew didn’t even get a look-in, he was crushed. “I thought we’d get a lot of nominations,” he admitted. “Like for director, writer, photography, and I was the only one who got a nomination. And that’s the big disappointment for me, of this.”
The Quiet American may have been branded as the best part its leading man had ever been given during a long and celebrated career, but he was nonetheless left dismayed by the fact all of the accolades and attention were being thrown entirely in his direction, which illustrates just how much of a team player Caine has always been.
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