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.
MICHAEL CAINEWhen 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.
MICHAEL CAINEDon’t sit as if you have nothing to say. You should be bursting with things to say. You just choose at this particular place and time, not to say them.
MICHAEL CAINEAt age 11, I went to a Jewish school. I speak Yiddish. I’m Church of England Protestant. My father was Catholic, and my mother was Protestant. My wife is a Muslim.
MICHAEL CAINEThe trouble with women? Elbows.
MICHAEL CAINEAs an actor, my attitude towards using of film versus digital is, if you have film, filmmakers have to cut eventually so you don’t have to learn all that dialogue. With digital, they can just go on forever and it’s a nightmare. So, I like film – nice short takes.
MICHAEL CAINEThe basic rule of human nature is that powerful people speak slowly and subservient people quickly – because if they don’t speak fast enough, nobody will listen to them.
MICHAEL CAINEThat 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.
MICHAEL CAINEActing is not a competition; everything must be done for the good of the film or else everybody loses.
MICHAEL CAINEThe old guys like me started in the theatre. I was in the theatre for nine years.
MICHAEL CAINEWhen I look in the mirror, I see someone who’s happy with how he looks, because I was never one of the handsome Hollywood people. And I’ve had success as I’ve gotten older, because I’m able to play characters. I no longer get the girl, but I get the part.
MICHAEL CAINEI have a knack of making villainous people a little bit sympathetic, a bit of fun on screen.
MICHAEL CAINEI never regret anything. I always said that when I’m old, I want to be sitting there regretting the things that I did and not the things that I didn’t do; and now I’m old, and I don’t regret anything! I had fun. I had fun, and I’m still having it.
MICHAEL CAINEIt’s vital to have your own space so you aren’t constantly in each other’s pockets.
MICHAEL CAINEI feel like 35. At 35 you’re old enough to know something and young enough to look forward to what you can do with the knowledge. So I stayed at 35!
MICHAEL CAINEI’ve always loved reprehensible people because they’re so much more interesting to play on screen.
MICHAEL CAINEPeople say to me, why did you do those films, and I say, for money. It wasn’t for diamond rings or kidney shaped swimming pools in Beverly Hills, it was in order to improve the lot of everyone around me.
MICHAEL CAINE