‘Okay Enough Is Enough’: Christopher Nolan Opens Up About Not Including Frequent Collaborator Michael Caine In Oppenheimer
Why the legendary actor didn't make into that star-studded Oppenheimer cast.
Christopher Nolan has a habit of working with the same actors over and over again: the acclaimed director has worked with Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon twice, Christian Bale and Gary Oldman four times apiece. And, he's notably collaborated a whopping six times with Cillian Murphy, the star of not only his blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer but also Dunkirk, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy. While Chris and Cill's professional "bromance" is undeniably impressive, it's actually the filmmaker's second longest-running collaboration with an actor. That title goes to Sir Michael Caine, who is notably missing from Oppenheimer.
Caine has performed in eight of Christopher Nolan's films, including The Prestige, Interstellar and Tenet — which made the absence of the legendary British actor from that star-studded Oppenheimer cast all the more puzzling.
While accepting the BFI Fellowship at the annual British Film Institute chairman’s dinner on Wednesday, February 14, Nolan addressed why Michael was M.I.A. from the historical drama. Per The Independent, he said in his speech that it was actually the 90-year-old actor who made the decision for him:
The film veteran, whose acclaimed career has spanned eight decades and has garnered two Academy Awards (for 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters and 1999's The Cider House Rules), officially announced his retirement from acting in October 2023. (He had previously dabbled with throwing in the towel back in the '90s, but Jack Nicholson allegedly pulled him back in.) He broke the news on BBC Radio 4's "Best of Today" podcast:
Michael Caine's final onscreen performance was as real-life World War II veteran Bernie Jordan in The Great Escaper, opposite the late, great Glenda Jackson.
With Caine not available for Oppenheimer, Nolan joked that he had to put together an ensemble of megawatt A-listers in the hope that "all those greats would add up to one Michael Caine":
Sadly, Christopher Nolan's onscreen collaborations with Michael Caine might be over, but his 20-year partnership with Cillian Murphy is thankfully still going strong. The actor presented Nolan with his BFI Fellowship on Wednesday night, calling his fellow 2024 Oscar nominee "a true legend":
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You can watch several of Nolan and Murphy's cinematic collabs — especially the ones that also feature Michael Caine, like The Dark Knight movies and Inception — with a Peacock subscription.
Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, entertainment and lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. Regularly covers Bravo shows, Oscar contenders, the latest streaming news and anything happening with Harry Styles.