Sir Michael Caine is among the most beloved movie superstars on celluloid.

It is not just his star power and his outstanding acting skills. Sir Michael is known to be a friendly interviewee and a fine raconteur who often narrates experiences during his times of struggle that could serve as inspiration not just for aspiring actors but for any human in general.

One such story he told concerned the problem of success in acting.

One of the problems with being an actor is that the work and the earnings aren't constant, but the bills are always.

This is why actors, even those who have found success, sometimes settle for roles that seem beneath their talent. Audiences often wonder, "Wasn't he nominated for an Oscar during the '90s? Why is he playing second fiddle on a third rate T.V. show?"

The answer is survival. They have to support themselves and their loved ones and they aren't trained for anything else. At times, actors accept parts for survival that end up defining them for the rest of their careers and that ends all opportunities of superstardom.

Harrison Ford is among the rare actors who understood the perils of accepting poorly authored roles; he hence took a break from acting when he didn't receive great offers.

Patience paid off, and he signed on to play Han Solo in Star Wars, the role that made him a superstar.

Sir Michael famously told of his struggle to find stable acting work with this story:

Back then, Caine restricted his attention to work in the theatre because film and even television seemed beyond the realms of possibility.

But at first, things didn't quite work out for him; he suffered rejection after rejection, which caused great dejection.

His lowest point came when he auditioned for the part of Bill Sikes in the theatrical adaptation of Oliver Twist. Sikes was from the same part of London as Caine, and also spoke with a cockney dialect like Caine. So Caine assumed it was a part he was born to play.

Oliver Twist is and remains very popular in the U.K., which meant that the play would continue for years and provide Caine a much-needed stable income.

But to his great dismay, he was rejected. The makers told Caine he didn't sound or look like a cockney and certainly didn't fit their vision of what Sikes would be.

Caine pleaded with them to give him an opportunity and said he could change his appearance to their vision to suit the part, but the humble requests fell on deaf ears. Caine was understandably very distraught. He even began to doubt his career choice. If he couldn’t convince the makers of that play that he could play a part that was close to his roots -- what chances did he have with other parts?

But life had another plan for Caine.

In 1962, 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.

A few years later, in 1964, he signed on to play the British spy, Harry Palmer, in an adaptation of Len Deighton's popular novel The Ipcress Files. The character was supposed to be an anti-Bond. Ian Fleming's more famous James Bond was fantasy-based idea of a spy -- i.e., he travelled to exotic locations, battled megalomaniac comic-book villains, and used outlandish gadgets.

Palmer, though, was bespectacled; he also possessed and displayed many characteristics of a working-class government bureaucrat. Palmer shopped at the supermarket and pleaded with his boss for a salary increment when he was handed a new assignment.

Like Bond, he did have a way with the ladies, but his modus operandi was different.

Caine played Palmer as a dedicated spy but with a dark sense, an undercurrent of insubordination and a subtle disdain for the upper class, i.e., most of his superiors. You always had a sense that Caine's Palmer was secretly scoffing at the pomposity of the English gentry. Caine was signed on to play Palmer in three films.

This role made Caine a global superstar and earned him a great salary. He played many great roles, such as the titular character in Alfie (1966), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. He also had major success with the caper Gambit (1966) and the heist comedy, The Italian Job (1959).

Some years later, during the '70s, Caine was driving past the very theatre and noticed the production of Oliver Twist from which he was rejected was still playing. It had, as he has estimated when he auditioned, become a huge success.

Caine then noticed that the actor who got the part from which he was rejected was still playing Sikes.

Caine immediately realized that if he has secured the part, he would have had to sign a contract which preclude any other employment opportunities such as he did get in The Ipcress Files.

Caine also realized that he would probably develop a reputation after playing the murderous, convincing, and thieving Bill Sikes and would never be cast in any lead or even likable parts such as that of Palmer or Alfie.

Caine grew from strength to strength in the subsequent decades, winning two Oscars and being nominated six times. He appeared in numerous blockbusters and amassed a handsome fortune.

This was an important life lesson he received: The lesson was to never despair when what seems like a lifetime opportunity slips away. Life usually has a better plan; one just has to keep fighting and never lose hope. It is natural to feel momentary heartbreak, but one must rise and prepare for the next battle.

For religious people, a lost opportunity can be seen as a divine plan. The Almighty purposefully denied you the opportunity that you thought would change your life for the better because the Almighty knows best and has something special planned for you.

For some, this may seem like stating the obvious; for others, it may seem fantastical or like a silly 'inspiring' quote your annoying relative sends you on WhatsApp when he wishes you good morning.

But a slight abandonment of cynicism and a retrospective look back at life will make you realize it is true.

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