(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Plenty of actors are adamant that comedy is a lot harder to master than drama, but Michael Caine was swiftly informed that even though he was doing a stellar job at perfecting the nuances of tickling audience funny bones, it was only because he couldn’t be intentionally hilarious if he tried.
That might sound harsh, but casting an eye over the legendary star’s career, it may not be too far wide of the mark. After all, a key part of Caine’s appeal onscreen and off was that he always came across as an engaging, affable, and charming chap who exuded a natural sense of warmth with a hint of mischief.
It served him very well in many of his finest performances, but slapstick or pratfalling was hardly in his wheelhouse. Not that he couldn’t do comedy at all, though, even if Caine was always at his best and most mirthful when he played it straight and became the embodiment of stoicism who served as the counterpoint to the absurdity unfolding all around him.
One of the most memorable examples came in The Muppets Christmas Carol, which works as well as it does because Caine insisted that he treat his turn as Ebenezer Scrooge with the straight-faced sincerity of the powerhouse dramatist that he was, refusing even to hint that he was in on the joke when sharing the screen with a cast comprised almost entirely of felt puppets with a human hand up their arse.
It also worked wonders when he was sparring with Steve Martin in Frank Oz’s beloved comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which isn’t only the two-time Academy Award winner’s pick for the funniest movie he’s ever made, but he’s also pointed towards the crime caper as the best picture he’s ever been in.
Discussing his approach with Movies, Caine explained that it wouldn’t have worked if he were to lean into the inherent comedy. Instead, much like he did with the Muppets, he played things completely straight and let the laughs flow through him while a more extravagant and scenery-chewing scene partner played for the cheap seats.
“Steve is being absolutely outrageous, and I’m acting as though nothing is wrong,” he said. “If I tried to be funny, it wouldn’t be funny. You are the straight man to whatever he is doing, and don’t try to be funny, don’t try to be sinister, don’t try to be nasty, just be natural; never overdo it.”
It might be a well-worn trope of comedy, but there’s a very good reason why so many actors have sworn by the belief that the easiest way to be funny is by not trying to be funny at all. It worked wonders for Caine in that respect, and he’s about the biggest fan of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels there is.
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