“Take a look in the mirror. Can you see the white on the top of the iris of your eye in relaxed position? Can you see your nostrils looking at your face straight on? Can you see the gums above your top teeth when you smile? Is your forehead longer than the space between the bottom of your nose and the bottom of your chin? If you are a man, do you have a very small head? If you are a woman, do you have a very big head?
If you have any of these facial characteristics, you won’t get the romantic leading roles.”
So says Michael Caine in his 2010 memoir The Elephant to Hollywood.
Here’s a shot of Caine himself from his Alfie days in 1966:
He fails the nostril test, right? But then, Michael Caine was never the typical romantic leading man. He had the irises covered, though, from birth: “I was born with blepharo — a mild, incurable, but non-contagious eye disease that makes the eyelids swell.”
Now see more photos of Michael Caine and his eyelids and nostrils »