Certain directors have “lucky charm” actors, whom they’ll cast in all of their features – even in bit parts – because they’ve consistently brought them solid vibes and creative symmetry. Martin Scorsese has Robert De Niro and Leonardo Di Caprio. Greta Gerwig tends to use Saoirse Ronan. And for Christopher Nolan, that actor was Sir Michael Caine, who famously played Alfred in Christian Bale’s three Batman movies but also appeared in recent features Tenet, Dunkirk, and Interstellar. Caine has been involved in some of Nolan’s best movies. So does he have a part in the director’s latest masterpiece, Oppenheimer?
Sadly, no. Oppenheimer breaks the streak for Christopher Nolan and Michael Caine collaborations, which dated back to 2005’s Batman Begins. And here I was, convinced that Caine was the voice of the countdown at the Trinity Test site, which had audiences on edge this past weekend. We had Nolan on CinemaBlend’s official podcast, ReelBlend, and when we asked about Caine’s possible involvement, he told us:
He's with us in spirit, but not an actual actor. No, no. He wasn't able to join us for this one. But he's always with us in spirit and, and I've had the most wonderful collaboration with him over the years. But I know not a lot of people know that he's in Dunkirk!
Michael Caine’s contributions to Dunkirk are audio only. He can be heard over a speaker giving orders to pilots like Tom Hardy and Jack Lowden. But then, Caine did appear in person in Tenet for a brief but still very important scene with John David Washington. Did Caine’s absence damage Oppenheimer’s chances at the box office? Well, actually, the opposite happened, as Oppenheimer absolutely overperformed in its debut weekend, banking $80 million domestically for a three-hour historical biopic – and performing opposite the sensation that was Barbie.
Make sure that you watch our full interview with Chris Nolan, because he discusses his cast, his legacy, and his thoughts on retirement with ReelBlend:
I’m genuinely curious how Oppenheimer will continue to perform at the box office. I’ve seen people take to social media to express how difficult it has been to obtain good seats at IMAX theaters, even though Nolan isn’t precious about the format in which you absorb his films. And maybe more people waited to see Oppenheimer after the lighter Barbie, giving the historical epic possible legs.
We also expect to see both movies remaining in the awards conversation as the rest of the year plays out, so keep an eye on our developing calendar of Upcoming 2023 movies and track how the rest of the year shakes out.
