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Michael Caine

Michael Caine Quotes

Actor

Michael Caine is a renowned British actor, born on March 14, 1933. He has made significant contributions to film, television, and theater, known for his unique acting style and versatile character portrayals.

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Famous Michael Caine Quotes

“I've been acting a long time, and I can play a Cockney gangster or a womanizer in my sleep or standing on my head. But what I try to do is I try to find characters that are as far away from me as I possibly can and then make them real. A French Nazi is about as far away from me as I can possibly get without actually going to Mars or something.”

Trying Long I Can Real Play Character Sleep Acting Long Time Standing Far Away Mars Nazi Gangsters Womanizer Cockneys

Author:Michael Caine

“I'm looking for me to disappear, and the acting to disappear, and all you see is a real person.”

Persons Real Acting Disappear Real Person

Author:Michael Caine

“That to me is what my idea of film acting should be. There shouldn't be any acting. You should just be watching a real person.”

Should Persons Ideas Real Film Acting Real Person Film Acting

Author:Michael Caine

“It's much harder to act in a bad film than in a good one. A terrible script makes for very difficult acting. You can win an Academy Award for some of the easiest acting in your career, made possible by a brilliant script.”

Made Film Winning Difficult Acting Careers Terrible Harder Scripts Brilliant Awards Academy You Can Win Academy Awards

Author:Michael Caine

“Great acting is about listening to what they are saying ....not waiting to deliver your lines.”

Waiting Lines Acting Listening

Author:Michael Caine

“You can see all sorts of things in film acting if you know where to look and what to look for. One thing I often notice is that the actor is looking for his mark, the place where he has to stand to be in the right place in the shot.”

Ifs Knows Looks Film Actors Acting One Thing Shots Mark Right Place Film Acting

Author:Michael Caine

“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”

Inspiring Acting Encouragement Calm Surface Ducks Bad Day Dickens Paddling

Author:Michael Caine

“I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I had done, not the things I hadn't.”

Ends Done Wanted Acting Regret Conviction Firm Aquarius

Author:Michael Caine

“My most useful acting tip came from my pal John Wayne. Talk low, talk slow, and don't say too much.”

Acting Too Much Lows Wayne Pals

Author:Michael Caine

“When you reach the top, that's when the climb begins.”

Acting Climbs Hiking

Author:Michael Caine

“Funny things happen to you in movies for silly reasons.”

Reason Happens Funny Acting Stupid Silly Things Happen Funny Things

Author:Michael Caine

“I'm a sort of boy next door. If that boy has a good scriptwriter.”

Ifs Next Acting Boys Doors

Author:Michael Caine

“I'm the audience's representative on earth.”

Earth Acting Audience Representatives

Author:Michael Caine

“When I'm doing an accent, you shouldn't notice it for a while, if I'm doing it right.”

Ifs Acting Accents

Author:Michael Caine

“Movie acting is about covering the machinery. Stage acting is about exposing the machinery. In cinema, you should think the actor is playing himself, if he's that good. It looks very easy. It should. But it's not, I assure you.”

Ifs Thinking Should Looks Actors Easy Acting Stage Cinema Movie Machinery Covering Exposing Stage Acting

Author:Michael Caine

“Acting is not a competition; everything must be done for the good of the film or else everybody loses.”

Done Film Loses Acting Competition

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“No matter what the reason, if you start to scream and shout, you look a fool, and you feel a fool, and you earn the disrespect of everyone.”

Ifs Feels Looks Matter Reason Acting Fool No Matter What Scream Disrespect

Author:Michael Caine

“To be a movie star, you have to invent yourself.”

Stars Acting Movie Star

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“First of all, I choose the great roles, and if none of these come, I choose the mediocre ones, and if they don't come, I choose the ones that pay the rent.”

Ifs Firsts Funny Actors Pay Acting Roles Humorous Theatre Mediocrity Mediocre Great Actors Film Actors Theatre Actors Actors And Acting Acting From Actors

Author:Michael Caine

“In film, other actors' performances really are not your concern. If the other actor isn't giving you what you want, act as though he were.”

Ifs Want Giving Film Actors Acting Concern Performances What You Want

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“You're your first best audience, long before anybody else hears you. So don't be an easy audience. Keep asking for more.”

Firsts Long Easy Acting Audience Asking

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“When becoming a character, you have to steal. Steal whatever you see. You can even steal from other actors' characterizations; but if you do, only steal from the best.”

Ifs Character Actors Acting Becoming Stealing Characterization

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“You've got to be flexible. Directors do a massive amount of planning and homework, and if after all that your director decides to throw it all out of the window and shoot spontaneously, then you must follow his lead.”

Ifs Acting Amount Directors Window Planning Massive Flexible Homework

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“Not only is acting more than a part-time job, it's more than a full-time job. It's a full-time obsession.”

Jobs Acting Obsession Part Time Full Time Jobs Part Time Jobs

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

“If you really want to become an actor, but only providing that acting doesn't interfere with your golf game, political ambitions and your life, you don't want to become an actor. Not only is acting more than a part time job, it's more than a full time job. It's a full time obsession.”

Ifs Want Jobs Political Actors Games Acting Ambition Golf Obsession Providing Interfere Part Time Golf Game Full Time Jobs Political Ambition Part Time Jobs

Author:Michael Caine

“You must always steal, but only from the best people. Steal any trick that looks worthwhile. If you see Vivien Leigh or Robert DeNiro or Meryl Streep do something stunningly effective, and you can analyze how he or she did it, then pinch it. Because you can be sure that they stole it in the first place.”

People Ifs Firsts Looks Acting Tricks Stealing Worthwhile

Author:Michael Caine

“Theater acting is an operation with a scalpel, movie acting is an operation with a laser”

Acting Theater Operations Lasers Scalpels

Book:Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

Source: Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making

About the Author

Born: March 14, 1933
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 266

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Books & Sources

Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie MakingRelated source material

The Elephant to HollywoodRelated source material

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