A ‘Style’ all their own
Arkin, Freeman and Caine talk about early days and their new film
Father Time recently NEW YORK caught up to Alan Arkin at Grand Central Station.
“I was running for a train and I see this old bastard running at me,” says Arkin, 83. “I said, ‘ Get out of my way, stupid old man!’ And it was a mirror. ”
But age hasn’t slowed the veteran actor, who yuks it up with Michael Caine, 84, and Morgan Freeman, 79, in Going in Style (in theaters Friday). In the geriatric heist comedy, the three Oscar winners play longtime friends bogged down by lost pensions, medical bills and pesky bank mortgages. After witnessing a bank robbery, Joe (Caine) is inspired to follow suit and convinces his pals Albert (Arkin) and Willie (Freeman) to help him steal $2 million.
Going is a remake of the 1979 movie of the same name, which starred George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. Caine and Freeman, who have appeared together in six films, were fans of the original and had bandied about the idea of redoing it together.
But Arkin only agreed to costar if screenwriter Theodore Melfi gave the characters higher real-world stakes.
A couple of years ago, “(I was) ripped off by a very reputable insurance company,” Arkin says. “They didn’t like the interest rate that they were making, and told me I had to pay premiums for another five years that were enormously expensive. But it left me in a state of rage, so I could understand why somebody would be put in this situation.”
Now, it’s “a comedy that’s unusually deep,” says Caine. And relatable, too, for all three men, who remember being cash-strapped aspiring actors. Caine was 30 when he got his breakout role as Lt. Gonville Bromhead in 1964’s
Zulu. Before then, he worked behind the scenes at a repertory theater in England.
“I didn’t have enough money for food, but as assistant stage manager, you arrange for foods to be eaten onstage,” Caine says. “I used to double the amount.”
Freeman recalls living on rice and soy sauce after serving in the U.S. Air Force. He worked as an audit clerk for a clothing manufacturer in Manhattan until he got his first paid gig in showbiz: a dancer at the 1964 World’s Fair.
“So I called the office and quit,” says Freeman, who downplays his little-known talent. (Arkin quit his office job in New York after half a day.) “I was an actor who could move well. I looked good doing it, but, no, I could never really dance.”
All three actors have worked steadily for decades and become choosier about projects. “I don’t want to do anything foolish,” Freeman says. “I’m too old. I’m not desperate for work anymore.”
He spends his downtime golfing near his home in Charleston, Miss. Arkin, a San Diego resident, enjoys playing music and catching up on recent movies. Caine leads a self-described “Zen” lifestyle, cooking and gardening at his London home.
“And I’m madly in love with my three grandchildren,” Caine says. “I’m a professional grandfather, but I don’t get paid.”