The one actor Michael Caine knew was out of his league: “Stage, screen, everything”

Not many people would argue against Michael Caine being called one of cinema’s greatest-ever actors, but even legends refuse to place themselves on top of the pile. As far as he was concerned, there was one heavyweight of stage and screen that he could never hope to match.

He did win more Academy Awards than they did, though, which has got to count for something. Caine has two Oscars to his name for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, and amassed another four nominations, one in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s, which underlines his impressive longevity.

The veteran has also been the recipient of a Bafta and three Golden Globes, and he’s never suffered the embarrassment of winning a Razzie, which is impressive when you remember he was shortlisted in the ‘Worst Supporting Actor’ category for the risible Jaws:

The Revenge, not that he regrets the paycheque.

The array of multi-generational icons that Caine has collaborated with during a seven-decade stint as a working actor makes for impressive reading that speaks to how long he’s been around, since there aren’t many folks who can say they’ve shared the screen with Henry Fonda and Vin Diesel, or Olivia de Havilland and Rita Ora.

He was one of Britain’s first working-class cinematic superstars, and when he was making a name for himself, he discovered that most of the competition had decidedly stiffer upper lips.

He didn’t let it slow him down, but when he first encountered one of the stateliest and well-spoken thespians of all, he knew he couldn’t hold a candle to their mercurial talent.

That said, not many could. Laurence Olivier is regarded as one of the most influential and towering figures in theatre and film for many good reasons, so when he was pitted opposite a formidable sparring partner in 1972’s Sleuth, Caine was well within his rights to feel that he was miles out of his depth.

“He was the greatest actor in the world; stage, screen, everything,” he told NPR. “You know, he was incredible.” Not only was he someone that Caine had admired from afar for years, but he’d also been awarded a knighthood and a peerage, making him both a sir and a lord, so the rising star had no idea how to address him.

“Before we started the film, I’d never met him,” he continued. “But we had to start rehearsals, and he wrote me a little letter, a very nice letter, saying, ‘It has occurred to me that you may be, as I am a lord, you may be wondering how to address me when we meet.’” If he hadn’t before, he definitely was now. Fortunately, Olivier only wanted to be called Larry.

Despite his daunting opponent, Caine more than held his own against the legend, with both of them being nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars and Golden Globes for Sleuth, showcasing that he had nothing to worry about performance-wise, even when up against the best in the business.