Michael Caine was a star in his native Britain in his heyday, but Jack Nicholson reigned long as an international superstar. Before his own retirement, he set the record for most acting Oscar nominations by any male performer and was as noted for his iconic public persona — the shades, the grin, the courtside seats at home Lakers games — as he was for his celebrated screen roles. Middle-aged by the 1990s just as Caine was, Nicholson was still landing starring roles in high-profile vehicles like “Hoffa” and “As Good as It Gets.”
But Nicholson was also taking on meaty supporting parts by that time and drawing raves for them. His role in “A Few Good Men” got him one of his Oscar nominations, and Nicholson himself delighted in playing the Joker in “Batman.” It was the joys of such character work that he wanted to talk to Caine about when he visited him in Miami. “[He] persuaded me that the reinvention did not have to be so extreme [as retiring],” Caine wrote in his memoir “Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life.” “Why not simply reinvent myself as a movie actor, as opposed to a movie star? A character actor, rather than a leading actor?”
Caine explained the difference — besides the relative size of the part — as control versus challenge. Stars can have parts and scripts tailored to suit them, but character actors must adapt to fit what’s written. Or, put another way: “I may no longer get the girl, but I’m still getting the parts.”
