Michael Caine Gave Aubrey Plaza A Bizarre Piece Of Acting Advice
When Michael Caine talks, actors listen.
With two Academy Awards under his belt and countless other accolades, the British screen star seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to the art of movie-making. Still, the man's methods can come off a little ... strange ... at times, according to those who've worked with him.
Take Aubrey Plaza for example. She and Caine worked together on the 2021 film "Best Sellers," which centers around their on-screen relationship as they embark on a book tour together. Plaza recently went on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and revealed one of the kooky pieces of advice that her legendary co-star had for her, as well as what she thought of him.
"Michael Caine is the best, the absolute best," Plaza told Colbert. "He's been around forever, he's seen it all, but he still has this curiosity and love for being on set. He knows everybody's name, he's so respectful and sweet. He tells stories every day. He was an absolute delight. He taught me a lot, it was like a road trip comedy so we were stuck in car together for awhile."
It was inside this car that Plaza got her acting lesson from Caine, which included a wild suggestion from the Oscar winner that somehow wound up working for the "Parks and Recreation" star.
Michael Caine taught Aubrey Plaza his secret eye trick
In case you didn't know, Michael Caine is kinda famous for doing strange things with is eyes. An AV Club report from August 2021 claimed he spent eight years trying not to blink after he read the tip in an acting book. But that's nothing compared to the insane acting tip he gave Aubrey Plaza while the two were shooting a scene for "Best Sellers."
"He would do stuff like, 'Now when I'm going to do my close-up, watch what I do. I'm gonna save this eye for the camera, and this eye for you. And I think you should do the same," Plaza remembered. She was hesitant to follow Caine's lead at first, but eventually fell in line. "I've got two Academy Awards and you should listen to what I'm saying," Plaza recalled him saying. "Now watch me, darling." Plaza said that when she finally attempted the eye trick, it worked like a charm.
"When we did it, I didn't understand it. But then, I swear to God, it really does work," she told Colbert. "He's a very technical actor, and sometimes when we would be in the car he'd be like, 'I don't see the bloody camera anywhere.' And I'd be like, 'Michael you don't need to see [the camera] we're driving in a car, just look ahead and say the lines. He'd be like, 'Where's the camera?!' He just really loves to play to the lens."