Michael Caine says he’s retiring from acting after ‘The Great Escaper’

Legendary actor Michael Caine says he’s retiring from acting.

In a new interview with BBC Radio 4, the two-time Academy Award winner said his new movie, The Great Escaper, may be his last.

“I keep saying I’m going to retire,” Caine said. “Well, I am now because I’ve figured I’ve had a picture, which is I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews.”

“The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men … and I thought, ‘Well, I might as well leave with all this,'” he explained.

Caine revealed he had actually turned down the role of Bernard “Bernie” Jordan — the real-life World War II veteran The Great Escaper is based on — three times but kept falling in love with the character each time he read the script.

“So I did it,” he said.

Caine also noted he’s very happy in his life, gushing about his wife of 50 years, Shakira, and his grandchildren, adding he’s “been lucky in every way.”

The actor also said he’ll be leaning into a different creative outlet in the future: writing. His first fiction book, a thriller titled Deadly Game, releases this November.

When asked if he’ll return to acting, Caine said no.

“There’ll be writing. I’ll write another book sometime because I so enjoy writing,” he said. “With writing, you don’t have to get out of bed. All you need’s pencil and a bit of paper and you can start.”