How I never forget my lines, by Caine, 83
AT the age of 83, most people have trouble remembering where they left their glasses.
But Sir Michael Caine says he ensures he never forgets a word of even the most complicated script by rehearsing every line at least 1,000 times before he sets foot on set.
With two Oscars and four other Oscar nominations, the Cockney actor has appeared in more than 115 films and is as busy as ever.
He revealed the secret of his success on the American TV show 60 Minutes. ‘I rehearse on my own and by the time I have come on to a set I have said the line to myself a minimum of 1,000 times,’ he said.
‘I’ve never used a mirror - I just do it anywhere. I just sit there talking.’
Unlike actors who have someone reading the other parts in the script, Caine practises alone. ‘Because it’s conversation,’ he explained, ‘so when the other actor says the line I’ve never heard it. That’s the trick.
‘I don’t want to be in the situation where I know what he’s going to say,’ he added. ‘I know what my bloody answer is. I’ve said it a thousand times. So I listen to what he says and that’s what makes the difference.’
‘That and having the confidence of knowing you’re not going to forget the line because you know what happens when you get older. In my case I don’t forget the lines but it takes me twice as long to learn the bloody things. It takes forever.’
‘He rehearses and rehearses. He studies his lines everywhere,’ said Caine’s wife of 43 years, Shakira. ‘We could be walking on the beach in Miami, we could be on a boat in the South of France, we could be walking in our garden, he could be feeding the ducks in our pond, he could be with our grandchildren. He goes over and over his lines and that has become a way of life with him.’