Sir Michael Caine has confessed he prefers old fashion film technology to digital - because he does not have to work so hard.

The 81-year-old actor, who has made more than 100 films, stars in Christopher Nolan's new space epic Interstellar and joined the director and cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain at a press conference at Claridge's hotel in London.

Nolan is an avid campaigner for the protection of celluloid film versus digital technology and Interstellar is the sixth movie he has made with Caine.

Asked about shooting on traditional film, Caine said: "I have an actor's attitude towards it. If you have film instead of digital, then you have to cut eventually, so you don't have to learn all that dialogue.

"But if you've got digital it goes on forever, so it's a nightmare. So I like film with nice short takes."

The British actor recently worked with Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, maker of award-winning film The Great Beauty, on his new project The Early Years.

Caine added: "I just worked with Paolo Sorrentino and he had four cameras and he doesn't even rehearse, 'cause he's got digital.

"And you just go on there and just go fluffing through it and he doesn't care. And you just keep going and going and going. And then you go home, and come back the next day. So I prefer film."

The Dark Knight Rises star, who plays scientist Dr Brand in Interstellar, has recently spoken of retirement but he admitted it was an easy decision to work with Nolan again.

Caine said: "You spend your life as an actor making a picture saying, 'Is it going to be a hit? Is it going to be a miss?'

"I've had six pictures from Christopher and every one was a hit and so whenever he says, 'Do you want to do a movie?' I say yes. And he says, 'Do you want to read the script?' I say no."

Interstellar is about mankind's search for a new planet to live on after the Earth becomes inhabitable, and raises the issue about leading a green lifestyle to save the world for future generations.

Caine joked: "I was so poor for so long for so long, that I didn't use anything, I didn't do cars, I didn't eat very much. So I figured the world owed me a debt. I've eaten very well and had a big car for a long time, but I still haven't caught up with my youth."

Nolan and the cast of Interstellar will attend the film's premiere in London's Leicester Square followed by the BFI Imax tonight (October 29). The movie is released in London on November 4 and goes on nationwide release on November 7.