Video
‘Beckham’ Netflix: The Ankler X Thom Powers Documentary Spotlight
Actor, producer and director Fisher Stevens speaks with Thom Powers about Beckham, his four-part series on the English footballer David Beckham, who retired from the game in 2013. Stevens, who produced the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary The Cove, tells Powers that Beckham wasn’t really on his radar until he got a call from the office of Leonardo DiCaprio, who had suggested him to direct the series. After an initial Zoom meeting, “we started a bit of a dance,” Stevens says. Eventually, a dinner for three — Stevens, Beckham and his wife, Victoria — sealed the deal. From there, the director spent dozens of hours interviewing the two of them (nearly 40 with Beckham alone) as well as other key figures, including Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United coach who famously clashed with his star player. “David said he wanted to tell his story his way before somebody else did it,” Fisher says. “I don't really think he quite understood that that meant he's going to have to feel things and go into places that he's kind of pushed aside for years … I think David was kind of surprised at the emotion bubbling up from him.”
Photos
Join the Ankler Audience
Subscribe to The Ankler to receive invitations to exclusive industry events
SubscribeContact us.
