40 Years Ago, Michael Caine Broke His Decades-Old Golden Rule To Kiss Superman (2024)

Michael Caine is a well respected actor who has earned the right to make certain demands, but he broke one of his own rules on the set of Deathtrap. Caine is a staple in Hollywood who has been appearing in hit films since 1946, when he was just 13 years old. Since then, Caine grew to become a star who was successful on both sides of the Atlantic, with over 170 credits to his name. As a long standing celebrity, whose mere name is able to draw an audience, Caine is granted the opportunity to put certain conditions in place before accepting new work.

However, in his autobiography, "What's it All About?," Caine has recounted a story where he broke one such condition on his own terms. Despite having the star power necessary to request edits on the 1982 movie, Deathtrap, Caine was happy to go along with scenes that were outside his comfort zone. And of course, it didn't hurt that his co-star, Christopher Reeve, was the actor who played Superman in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Michael Caine Broke His Rule To Kiss Christopher Reeve In A 40-Year-Old Comedy

Michael Caine Couldn't Pass Up The Chance To Kiss Superman

According to Michael Caine's autobiography, he highlighted that he had a strict rule which he had put in place long before he had even made a name for himself as an actor. He would not kiss a man. As a British man with views and values that stemmed from his environment and the period where he grew up, it's not an entirely unbelievable rule to have in place. However, Caine reveals that he gladly broke the rule when the right man came along, Superman.

I had three good excuses: I was kissing Superman (the other part was played by Christopher Reeve); his breath only smelt of the bottle of brandy we had drunk between us before we did the scene - and I got paid a million bucks to do it. My sense of values, as you can see, did not alter much over the years.

Caine's willingness to kiss his costar was actually an extremely progressive moment in the film, considering the movie was released in 1982. Reeve even shared in an interview that the kiss potentially cost the film $10 million due to the backlash and negativity that was directed at the movie for including two men sharing an intimate moment. With this consideration in mind, and Caine's own eagerness to kiss Superman, it's a somewhat funny story that pays tribute to the late and great Reeve.

Why Michael Caine Has A Specific No Kissing Rule In His Whole Career

It All Goes Back To A Terrible Memory

Caine did have a reason behind why he set the rule firmly in place for his career. While there was a significant stigma around men kissing other men in films that was prominent during the 1980s, that same attitude was not nearly as prevalent in theater. For many years, going back to Shakespearean plays, often men were the only ones employed to act in the theater. For this reason, romances between male and female characters were played exclusively by men. This continued for many years, and when necessity called for a kiss in a play, boys would play both parts.

For Caine, attending schools as a child in the 1930s and 1940s, his school plays continued this tradition. While Caine wanted to perform, he recounts a less than ideal experience where he was cast opposite another boy with whom he was supposed to share a kiss, but the boy was rather ugly and had bad breath. As a result of this traumatic experience for young Michael Caine, he opted to put his rule in place and avoid any future issues, until Deathtrap presented a chance he couldn't turn down.

My second attempt at show business was at Wilson's Grammar School where I went to the first play rehearsal without reading through my part and found out that I had to kiss a small boy who was playing my wife - a necessity in an all-boys' school and one of the reasons why I am against them. I couldn't do this love scene; apart from the fact that Jenkins was not a girl he was also very ugly - even for a boy - and he had bad breath. I retired from the play.

After this I promised myself I would never do anything where I had to kiss a male. I only broke this vow once, when I did Deathtrap many years later.

Deathtrap (1982)

PG

Mystery

Thriller

Comedy

Deathtrap is a mystery thriller directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. Released in 1982, the film follows a formerly successful playwright who hatches a plot to steal a brilliant new script from an emerging writer. The narrative unfolds with elaborate twists and turns, maintaining an atmosphere of suspense throughout. Based on Ira Levin's play, the film explores themes of deception, ambition, and morality within the theater world.

Director

Sidney Lumet

Release Date

March 19, 1982

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Jay Presson Allen , Ira Levin

Cast

Michael Caine , Christopher Reeve , Dyan Cannon , Irene Worth , Henry Jones

Runtime

116 Minutes

Budget

10000000.0

Main Genre

Mystery