The 83-year-old actor who has over 115 films and six Oscar nominations does not take his roles lightly. He perfects every word and line before filing on set, and practices quite a bit during his own time.
Caine recently revealed to 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. I’ve never used a mirror – I just do it anywhere. I just sit there talking. Because it’s conversation, so when the other actor says the line I’ve never heard it. That’s the trick…”
He continued: “I don’t want to be in the situation where I know what he’s going to say. 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.”
While the actor feels confident about forgetting his lines, he does admit age plays a role and learning takes longer in time.
“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,” Caine admitted.
His wife does not mind how long it takes him and has always remained supportive. She said, “He rehearses and rehearses. He studies his lines everywhere. If it’s a movie where he’s working for two weeks or two months he puts in the same effort into it.”