Michael Caine Rips into ‘Social Media Actors’
Sir Michael Caine is one of the most respected actors of all time who has the distinction of being nominated for an Academy Award every decade from the 1960’s to the 2000’s. However, he has no patience for actors who are only interested in money and are fame-hungry.
According to The Telegraph, Caine shared his thoughts and concerns about young actors during a royal reception at St. James’s Palace in London for British Academy Award winners last week. The event hosted by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was also attended by some of the biggest names in British cinema, including Dame Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons, Dame Maggie Smith, and Colin Firth.
“These days they just say ‘I’m going to be an actor because I want to be rich and famous,'” said Caine. “And then they do a little part on television and everyone knows who they are. They can’t really act.”
He talked about his own experience, adding, “I knew I wasn’t going to be rich, I knew I wasn’t going to be famous, I knew I wasn’t going to be a movie star, I just wanted to be a good actor, that’s all.”
Caine, who’s twice won the Oscar for best supporting actor in Hannah And Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules, also shared his views on the dangers of becoming a star at a young age.
“They’re very young now. I was 30 before I became well known,” said Caine. “I’ve watched it ruin people. By the time they’re 30, they’re through.”
“We’re casting actors who have big followings so the studios can use their followings to sell their movie,” said Thompson, who won an Oscar in 1993 for her role in Howard’s End and a best adapted screenplay award in 1996 for Sense and Sensibility.
The 57-year-old added, “The actors are becoming attached in the sort of business way to their social media profiles, and I think that’s a disaster.”
However, Charles Bramesco, a writer for such publications like Vanity Fair and The Guardian, is a bit skeptical of Michael Caine and Emma Thompson’s view on fame and money-hungry young actors and noted that while some people can become self-absorbed thanks to social media, it isn’t always the sole reason.
“Joke’s on Michael Caine, because a rich, famous movie star is exactly what he ended up being,” said Bramesco. “Poor future-sight aside, however, to suggest nobody got into acting for the glitz prior to Twitter’s launch is a little bit of a stretch.”
The Guardian reported that despite members of the Royal Family in attendance, both Caine and Thompson have never had a desire to portray royalty on screen.
“I’m definitely working class, said Caine. “I can’t think of a single royal who has a cockney accent.”
“They’re much better at it than any of us could ever be,” said Thompson.
“If you don’t vote for Zac, you will have a political party that can’t run itself running London,” said Caine.
Sir Michael Caine also made headlines earlier this year when he spoke out about the diversity problems plaguing the 2016 Oscars, according to People. He encouraged black actors to be patient and said that it took several years before he received an Oscar.
“There’s loads of black actors. You can’t vote for an actor because he’s black,” said Caine. “You got to give a good performance, and I’m sure there were very good [performances].”
[Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images]
