The acting giant has mobility issues, and can't walk without assistance, which he incorporated into what may be his final role.
The Big Picture Michael Caine, the icon of British cinema, has confirmed that he now views himself as retired after filming what he feels will be his final role, in The Great Escaper. Caine had caused in stir after filming Lina Roessler's Best Sellers in 2021 when he said the movie might be his last.
"I was so happy to do it. I just loved the character of Bernie. I thought he was incredible, and it’s so beautifully written. With Covid and all that, I hadn’t done a picture for three years, and I thought I was finished. And I suddenly did it — and had such a wonderful time. They gave me a very good walking stick, and I was able to do scenes that needed that. I’d just do them once, and then fall over. But just one take, and that’s it. Forget it.
“We were careful to ensure that Michael wasn’t working too hard," said Parker, "and having to negotiate him moving around at the pace he did. But for him to have returned to acting after not having made a film in a while, and in the way he did, was quite a thing. I’ve rarely seen him playing a character that has such frailty. He’s always been Michael Caine — carefree, confident and cool. Here he’s playing a man who is struggling to keep control.