In1962, Caine auditioned for the role of Private Henry Hook in the epic adventure Zulu (1964). Caine was extremely nervous during his screen test, and hence the results were appalling. The film's auteur, Cy Endfield, met with Caine at the bar at the Prince of Wales theatre and told him that it was the worst screen test he had ever seen. A dejected Caine thanked him and began walking away.The production was leaving for South Africa shortly and had yet to cast the role of Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, the upper-class officer. Bromhead was the second lead in the picture. Caine later said, "My entire movie career is based on the length of the bar at the Prince of Wales theatre because I was on my way out and it was a very long walk to the door. And I had just got there when director Endfield called out: 'Come back!' and offered him the part of Bromhead.
Caine said that he was fortunate that Endfield was American, adding that "no English director would've cast me as an officer, I promise you, not one," because these directors simply couldn't see a working-class actor play an aristocrat. Americans, though, were a different story. They took Caine's cockney accent for a fancy English one, not being cognizant of distinctions in English accents nor having any sense of England's class system. Caine rose to the occasion and delivered a sterling performance -- the role made him a star. :American Thinker
