John Wayne’s advice to Michael Caine

Excerpt from Michael Caine’s awesome book Michael Caine – Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making . I LOVE this story.

I noticed that American actors always try to cut down their dialogue. They say, “I’m not going to say all this. You say that line.” At first I couldn’t figure out why; I came from theatre, where you covetously count your lines. But it’s a smart approach for an actor to give up lines in the movies because while you wind up talking about them, they wind up listening and reacting. It’s no accident that Rambo hardly speaks. Sylvester Stallone is not a fool.

I remember when I first went to America, right after I made Alfie. I met John Wayne in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel. He’d just got out of a helicopter, he was dressed as Hondo and he came over and introduced himself to me.

I said: “I do know who you are, Mr. Wayne.”

He said, “You just come over?”

“Yeah.”

He said, “Let me give you a piece of advice: talk low, talk slow, and don’t say much.”

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1 Response to John Wayne’s advice to Michael Caine

  1. Dan says:

    Reminds me of a story about The Magnificent Seven. Steve McQueen was trying to steal Yul Brynner’s scenes with various reactions/dramatic flourishes while Brenner was speaking. Brenner finally told him it knock it off or he’d starting taking off his hat.

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