Danny Dyer Looks Back Over 2009

by Helen Earnshaw | 26 November 2009

2009 has been an incredibly busy year for Danny Dyer with the likes of City Rats and Dead Man Running under his belt.

But he's taking a bit of a break from his movie career this week to talk about his big passion in life... football.

Yes he's promoting his new DVD Football Foul Ups and I caught up with him to chat about it, the year he has had and what lies ahead over the next twelve months.

- Your new DVD Football Foul Ups is out today so can you tell me a little bit about it?

It’s basically, I live and breath football, this idea got put to me and it’s just me for an hour and half talking about football about players getting it wrong, because we sort of celebrate footballers and they are on so much money it’s nice to see them get it wrong.

So it’s just an hour and a half of me being cheeky about footballers if you are a fan of football and a fan of mine you are going to love it.

There are some own goals on there, my top ten own goals, really bad misses as well as some really good goals and good goalkeeping saves. It’s a real little stocking filler for Christmas.

- You have done the movie The Football Factory which led to the Real Football Factories, Real Football Factories International and now this so what is your fascination with the sport?

I just love, I’m just a man you know never trust a man who doesn’t like football of music. You are just brought up with is in the playground it was my favourite thing at school I couldn’t wait break time to get out there in the rain to play football. And my dad loved football and he took me to West Ham when I was a youngest and I just got the buzz.

It’s the one thing that men share in common and the one thing that we talk about more than anything, men we don’t really express ourselves do we? We’re not like women who sit around gossiping we talk about football, if we didn’t football I think we would just sit in silence.

- Talking of football what did you think of France vs. Northern Ireland?

It was terrible wasn’t it? I think it was disgusting behaviour from Henry because it was such a blatant thing. But I think France for a long time haven’t been very good and haven’t got a very good team and they had to resort to that. I felt really sorry for the Irish, it’s a weird thing because I think the Irish, if we
were playing France, they would be cheering France on and celebrating the handball.

But we don’t feel the say way about the Irish and I really wanted them to go through and I think that they should have a replay but I don’t think it will happen.

He has tarnished his whole reputation Henry for just one moment on the pitch so I think he is going to suffer for it in the long run, and I really hope we get them in our group so we can smash them to pieces.

- And sticking with the football theme your last movie Dead Man running saw you work with Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand, as they were producers, so how was that?

The produced the movie so it wasn’t that hands on they gave us the money and trusted us to go away and make the movie and I think that they are really happy. And it’s done really well actually they only put the movie on eighty screens, which is a really low number while other movies are on four hundred, and we still took a lot of money.

They are really nice guys Rio and Ashley, I know Ashley gets a bit of bad press but he has always been really nice with me. I think he has a beautiful wife, has and loads of money, plays for one of the best clubs in the world and I think that there is a lot of jealousy and hatred towards him but I think he’s a really nice fella.

- You took on the role of Bing in the movie so what drew you to the character and the film?

Well it originally came to me through Tamer Hassan, he plays the lead in it, and he is a good friend of mine. He had the script early doors and he approached me about and I said if we got the money together I was up for it. So he went away and he knew Rio since he was a kid and got him on board, I think he gave us £1 million, and them Ashley came on board.

So we had the money and we just needed to get the right cast and they went about getting 50 Cent, which was a real moment for me, he brings a whole new audience to the film so it was a real joy working with him.

We also had Brenda Blethyn it’s such a mad cast me, 50 Cent and Oscar nominated Brenda Blethyn I think it reaches a wide audience and it all came together really well.

Critically they ruined it, I knew the middle class mob weren’t going to like it, but it’s all about number now and I think we have earnt a few quid so everybody’s happy really.

- The movie teamed you up once again with Tamer Hassan you tow have got a good little partnership going on?

He is a good pal of mine and I have known him a long time. He was late coming into acting and I’m sort of rooting for him a bit and it’s his first chance at a lead role, usually I’m the lead and he’s playing my sidekick, so I think it was his chance to have a shot and he pulls it out of the bag.

But I don’t want to become a double act that’s not what I’m about I like working with him as it’s always a joy to work with your friends, it’s not often that you get to do that. If we do work together again it has to be something totally different, there is talk of The Business happening next year so if that goes ahead we will work together again.

- You have already touched on starring alongside 50 Cent so what was he like to work with?

He was lovely honest not what you expect him to be, he’s a lot smaller in real life but there is a presence about him. He was just lovely to everyone, his entourage were a bit tricky, but if you were to have a one to one with the fella he’s are really nice man, and a business man who supported our little film.

He really wanted to work on a film that was set in London and he was sent a few DVDs of mine and apparently he was a bit of a fan of mine so that was a real moment for me.

- You are quite often cast as this cockney geezer so how desperate are you to break away from this image, if at all?

I was a few years ago I was really starting to get a complex about it but now I realise that I have a sort of niche in the market. I am a serious actor and I have it in me to do other roles, I’m 33 next year I’m getting on now girl, I started when I was 14 so it’s nearly twenty years in the business so I’ve had a good run, there are a lot of actors who can’t get any work and are struggling to pay the bills, I’m lucky I’m working.

You never know hat’s around the corner with acting that’s what I love about it it’s such an insecure job and you don’t know what your ideal role is you have just got what’s put in front of you and you try to do it justice.

- That really leads me into my next question really what kind of roles would you like to see yourself doing?

It’s hard to say really. I would love to go and do an American TV show because I think that they make amazing shows over there the film industry over there has taken a bit of a battering, I would also like to do something a bit Disney because it’s so different to what I’m know as. But again it’s not my decision to make.

I have two daughters and a mortgage and I need to pay the bills and do the right think, you can sit around trying to be all cool and cult all you want it doesn’t pay the bills.

- Earlier this year you were linked with a role in Eastenders so why did you turn that down?

It was an idea that was put to me and I just decided that it wasn’t quite the right time for me to do that it was an obvious move and it would probably be the last nail in my coffin wouldn’t it?

- Well I’m not a fan

I’m not really but it’s always been on in my house since I was a kid and I respect the people that work there but I just think I would rather go on and do other thing before I tie myself down to a soap.

- 2009 has been a really busy year for you with City Rats, Doghouse and Dead Man Running so how would you sum up your year?

I’ve had a really good year and have been really busy, the only downside is I haven’t seen as much of my family as I should have done. But I have done well and earnt a few quid which really means that I can sit back and pick and choose my roles next year.

Like I have said before I have had three movies this year as well as doing a West End play I have just finished shooting a movie and am about to stary another next week so I’m on an unbelievable role.

- You have worked in TV, movies and theatre in recent years so how to you find moving between all three?

I love film because it’s not restricted, you can make movies about anything really, I love the whole process of it but I think as an actor every now and again you have to go and do a bit of theatre it really helps hone your craft.

It’s a very different way of approaching your role because you rehearse of six weeks and you go out on the stage and do it for a couple of months to a live audience and it’s a real buzz.

Making a film is a lot different you shoot two or three minutes a day it’s about taking each scene as it comes an knowing your part in the film well enough because you shoot it back to front, it’s never in order, it such a different style.

I’m not that keen on the presenting side of things I had a taste of it but I’m an actor at the end of the day and that’s what I get a buzz off.

- How difficult is it stepping out in theatre if something goes wrong on a film you go back and do it again you don’t have that chance with a live performance?

Absolutely but that’s why you need to fo it because you can become complaciant and you just need to test yourself and throw yourself in the deep end. I just did a play called Sid and Kurt, I played Sid Vicious, and it was a two hander so it was an hour and a half with just another actor and a lot of dialogue. I was doubting myself whether I could do it but I came out of it a better man and a better actor.

- Finally what’s next for you?

I’m going to do a movie called Devil’s Playground a horror movie, and it’s not a horror comedy it’s a straight horror, and them I’m going to go off and do a movie with Sean Bean called The Age of Heroes which sees me playing a commander during Dunkirk. Again it’s something a bit different and I love Sean I worked with him on Outlaws. There is also talk of me doing Severance 2.

- Severance is my favourite.

Really? There’s a thing about doing a second done next year but I think it’s a bit too long, six years down the line, the script need a bit of work but it’s going to be a bit of a love story between me and Maggie. Fingers crossed it will happen.

Danny Dyer’s Football Foul Ups is out now.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw