HE’S a football legend, family man and now a documentary maker, but David Beckham has also revealed he’s occasionally a gangster and a cowboy.
The former Manchester United and England skipper has confessed that he gets so obsessed by certain TV shows that he’ll often transform himself into their central characters.
David Beckham has revealed he’s occasionally a gangster and a cowboy[/caption]
He said: ‘With Peaky Blinders, I went for the whole – not any particular character – I just wore everything Peaky Blinders’ – pictured Cillian Murphy[/caption]
He took inspiration from Kevin Costner’s look in fave show Yellowstone[/caption]
David says his fashion choices inevitably draw derision from his wife Victoria but come from a lifelong obsession with telly[/caption]
David, 49, says it inevitably draws derision from his wife Victoria, 50, but insists it comes from a lifelong obsession with telly.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference yesterday, he said: “I grew up in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, so I’m used to watching Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Minder and things like that.
“Now I love Peaky Blinders and Victoria will always laugh at me, because whenever there’s a TV show that I’m watching I kind of morph into a character.
“So, with Peaky Blinders, I went for the whole – not any particular character – I just wore everything Peaky Blinders.
“And then we watched Yellowstone and I was a cowboy…which she kind of liked, I think.”
David’s love of TV has contributed to his latest role as a documentary maker as part of production company, Studio 99, which this month scooped an Emmy for his autobiographical Netflix doc, Beckham.
It saw him throw open the doors to the Beckham home in a way that was unprecedented and, he admitted at the RTS convention, was difficult at times.
But he also said he understood the ongoing interest in the couple, as well as their four children – Brooklyn, 25, Cruz, 22, Romeo, 19 and even their daughter Harper, who’s just turned 13.
Talking about being a Beckham in the age of social media, he said:
“I’ve got three good looking boys that alot of people are interested in, and a beautiful little girl that no one is interested in, just yet.
“I am trying to keep it that way, actually they probably are interested in her already…but we won’t talk about that.”
David also said how his love of documentaries is part of the reason why he makes so much social media content, often covering his more rural life in the Cotswolds.
He said: “Victoria was quite angry with me at the weekend about the ‘vegetable post’
“I have a whole gardening thing going on at the moment and I’d been away for the summer and then came back and was amazed by the explosion of kale and the artichokes and all that.
“So I decided to go out early Sunday morning and do a film with me in it and Victoria literally posted about an hour later saying: ‘Where has my husband gone? Who IS this man? He used to ride bikes? Actually she probably wasn’t angry, but she was like: ‘Stop with the posts!”
But even Victoria can’t help but be submerged in the Beckhams’ more rural life, as illustrated by David’s latest batch of honey which he brought on stage at the RTS convention.
I grew up in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, so I’m used to watching Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Minder and things like that
Infamously, it was previously known as “David’s Sticky Stuff” and has now been jokingly rebranded as “Sticky Vicky Honey” especially for their 25th wedding anniversary.
But despite showing off more of their life on social media David admits that he found bearing his soul on his Beckham documentary for Netflix last year an awkward experience.
He said: “It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact I was going to make it. But there were a few reasons why we wanted to make it.
“When I retired I wasn’t ready to talk about my career but after a while and through the pandemic, you know that’s when docs really exploded.
“And I thought: it’s coming up to the ten year anniversary of me retiring from football, I think this is the right time.”
The four-parter dropped last year and became one of the streamers biggest hits of the year, but David admitted he was initially reticent.
He said: “I can’t lie, it worried me and made me nervous, it made Victoria nervous because as much as people think they know everything about us, they don’t really.
“We don’t really let those doors open to the house but I knew it was the right time.
“It was very difficult, but I loved the results. There were moments when I was talking about things I’d never talked about before.
“I was talking about times in my career when there was no social media, everything that was said about me I knew what was being said but the boss Alex Ferguson would turn round to me and say: ‘Don’t read the papers today, go out and play.’
Now I love Peaky Blinders and Victoria will always laugh at me, because whenever there’s a TV show that I’m watching I kind of morph into a character
“With this documentary I said I don’t want to see anything until it comes out. I didn’t go into the edit. I didn’t see any cuts, I saw the odd clip. I just let the director Fisher (Stevens) take control.
“When I met him I thought this is the man who, I think, will make me feel uncomfortable and I think I had to feel uncomfortable to make the documentary we made.
“I needed a director who’d come at it from a different angle. Everyone knows my career and my life so I need someone like him to bring something different out in me.
“And it was quite emotional. I knew that if I was going to make it, I would only make it once, and I was going to do it in the way that I should.”
His next big challenge is two-fold – making another brilliant documentary through Studio 99 while keeping Mrs Beckham happy too.
The production company is making a new show on Victoria looking at her fashion and beauty empire, which has gone from a challenging debut to becoming a huge hit.
David said: “I’m really excited about this one because she is an amazing woman. She’s a strong, driven, passionate person that has gone from being a Spice Girl , as you all know, to being respected in this industry. That is very tough.
“She’s worked hard for the last 17 or 18 years on her business and all of a sudden she’s having the success that she really deserves.
“No one really sees what she does, or sees the amount of work she puts in – she’s over everything from where people sit in the shows, to what they wear, she’s over every single piece.
“I want people to see that. It was hard to convince her to do this, but I think she’d been such a big part of the process with Netflix and she was like: I love these people and I love the way they work.
“It’s an exciting time because I think she’s going to do something that’s very special, and people are going to see her personality and her work ethic.”
Asked if he was giving Victoria notes during the making of the doc, David said: “Me, give my wife notes? Do you KNOW my wife?! …actually I’ll be quite excited to give her notes.”
BECKS’ SECRET STYLE INSPO
AFTER Becks admitted he often morphs into characters he sees on screen, we look at other examples of how he might have been inspired by other stars over the years.
THEY’RE now friends and neighbours in the Cotswolds, which is handy since David desperately seems to be adopting the rural look to channel Clarkson’s Farm star Jeremy Clarkson.
David desperately seems to be adopting the rural look[/caption]
Becks is channelling Clarkson’s Farm star Jeremy[/caption]
AS a son of the Seventies, it was inevitable Becks would go for the chunky white cardi look sported by Paul Michael Glaser – aka Detective Dave Starsky– in US TV’s Starsky and Hutch.
Becks wore this chunky white cardi look sported by Paul Michael Glaser[/caption]
Paul Michael Glaser – aka Detective Dave Starsky– in US TV’s Starsky and Hutch[/caption]
HE’S already admitted to loving classic Eighties sitcom Only Fools And Horses, and there was no mistaking his longing to be Del Boy in this cushty sheepskin.
Mange tout, David . . .
David admitted to loving classic Eighties sitcom Only Fools And Horses[/caption]
Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses[/caption]
ROBERT de Niro is well known for his haircut in Taxi Driver, but it wasn’t the last of the Mohicans as David seemed to be inspired by the classic.
David sporting his famous mohican[/caption]
Robert de Niro is well known for his haircut in Taxi Driver[/caption]
BECKS probably feels like a proper Charlie Dimmock donning his gardening outfits just like the team on BBC makeover show, Ground Force.
Bet he wasn’t wearing a bra in this picture either.
Becks probably feels like a proper Charlie Dimmock donning his gardening outfits[/caption]
Charlie on BBC makeover show, Ground Force[/caption]
