- Michael Caine — who is now 90 years old — says that he's finally retiring. Sort of.
- In an interview with The Telegraph, the actor hinted that his upcoming film might be his last.
Michael Caine, who is 90, says that he is "sort of" retiring now, according to a new interview with The Telegraph.
In the interview, the legendary actor reflected on his life and his decades-spanning career — and even hinted that his upcoming film might be his last.
Even though Caine has previously discussed the idea of retirement over the years, this time things seem different.
"But I wasn't 90 then. I am bloody 90 now, and I can't walk properly and all that," Caine told The Telegraph. "I sort of am retired now."
The actor added that playing his latest role in the upcoming World War II veteran drama "The Great Escaper" was tough on his body because he can't walk without aid.
"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," he said.
Despite the physical challenges, Caine says that he was happy to have been able to do the film, per The Telegraph.
"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," Caine said.
The nonagenarian has spoken about retirement multiple times, even as early as in 1968.
In a newspaper interview with the Daily Express in October 1968, Caine mentioned that he planned to retire when he was 45, as reported by The Guardian in August 2018.
"I will carry on with this life until I am 45 and then move out to a farmhouse, fill it with kids and grow old gracefully. Forty-five is a good age to retire from the hunt," Caine told the Daily Express, per The Guardian.
In October 2021, Caine told BBC radio show "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review" that his movie "Best Sellers" would be his final acting role.
"Funnily enough, it has turned out to be my last part, really," the actor said on the radio show. "Because I haven't worked for two years, and I have a spine problem which affects my legs, so I can't walk very well."
A few days after his radio show remarks, Caine backtracked on his comments in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter: "I haven't retired and not a lot of people know that."
—Michael Caine (@themichaelcaine) October 16, 2021
Although "The Great Escapers" might very well be his last film, Caine tells The Telegraph that he's satisfied with the life that he's led.
"Everybody's going to die. At least I've lived to f—g 90; I didn't die at nine, or 19, or 29. I'm 90, and I've had the best possible life I could have thought of," Caine said. "The best possible wife, and the best possible family."