Michael Caine has once again indicated that he is retiring from acting, this time at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. The 92-year-old actor made the announcement while accepting a lifetime achievement award, stating, 'I kept going until I was 90, which was two years ago, and I thought to myself I’m not going to do anything else because I’ve had all the luck you can get.'
This marks the fourth time Caine has announced his retirement. He first retired in 2009 after the film 'Harry Brown', then again in 2021 following 'Best Sellers'. He returned for 'Medieval' in 2022 and 'The Great Escaper' in 2023. While promoting 'The Great Escaper', he gave mixed signals, telling the BBC he might leave while also mentioning a potential role as Charles Darwin. However, Anthony Hopkins has since been cast in that Darwin film.
At the festival, Caine was introduced by Vin Diesel, his co-star in 'The Last Witch Hunter' (2015), and they are reportedly set to reunite for a sequel. Caine was joined on stage by his three grandchildren, while his wife Shakira and two daughters watched from the audience. He reflected on his career, saying, 'I’ve had a fairly fabulous movie family... including the failures.'
Caine, who has won two Oscars, also noted his long marriage of 52 years and his recent ventures into writing, having published a novel and a memoir. He concluded his speech by thanking the festival for the surprise, adding, 'in show business, you never get many surprises, but you get a couple of shocks.'
