Hardman Vinnie Jones reveals he'd love to stretch his acting skills and play an aristocrat after years of relying on alcohol for confidence
Vinnie Jones has revealed how he'd love stretch his acting skills and swap hardman roles to play an aristocrat.
The former footballer, 59, who's known for portraying gangsters on screen said he believed he had the talent and would it be a 'funny' to see him in a totally different role.
Vinnie spoke to the Radio Times about his acting ambitions while promoting new Guy Ritchie series The Gentleman, in which he plays gamekeeper Geoff.
The Londoner, who landed his first role in Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, also revealed how he'd given up alcohol after relying on it for confidence.
Speaking about the Netflix show which deals with the English class system he told the publication how he lands 'in the middle'.
Vinnie Jones, 59, has revealed he'd love stretch his acting skills and swap hardman roles to play an aristocrat
The former footballer, who is known for portraying gangsters on screen said he believed he had the talent and would be a 'funny' change of to see him in a totally different role (pictured in 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Saying: 'I’ve been in a room with the biggest toffs on the planet and I’ve also been in rooms with the biggest gangsters in England'.
'I am an entertainer. I can hold a room. I used to think it was the alcohol that got me through, but it’s not. I’m 11 years without a drink now'.
He went on to speak about his undiagnosed mental health problems while playing professional football, which may have contributed to his reliance on alcohol.
'The pressures of staying up in the league and getting in the team – when I was playing, your wages were performance-based; if you were injured and didn’t play, you got half your wages'.
'I was a lad from a building site, scored the winner against Man United, won the FA Cup, grabbed Gazza by the balls – and then had to deal with the press'.
In The Gentlemen, Theo James portrays the fictional lead character Eddie, who inherits 'his father's sizeable estate only to discover' its a 'weed empire owned by the legendary Mickey Pearson.
He is starring alongside the likes of Chanel Cresswell, Joely Richardson, Daniel Ings and Gaia Weiss.
Vinnie spoke about his acting ambitions while promoting new Guy Ritchie series The Gentleman, in which he plays gamekeeper Geoff (pictured)
The Londoner, who landed his first role in Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, also revealed how he'd given up alcohol after relying on it for confidence (pictured 1996)
He went on to speak about his undiagnosed mental health problems while playing professional football, which may have contributed to his reliance on alcohol (pictured in 1999)
In the series, host of unsavoury characters from Britain's criminal underworld want a piece of Eddie's operation.
Determined to extricate his family from their clutches, Eddie tries to play the gangsters at their own game. However, as he gets sucked into the world of criminality, he begins to find a taste for it.
Of the new production, Guy said: 'The world of 'The Gentlemen' is a little bit of me, I'm thrilled that with Netflix, Miramax and Moonage we have this opportunity to inhabit it once again.
'We're looking forward to bringing fans back into that world, introducing new characters and their stories and I am excited to be doing it with this extremely talented cast.'
In The Gentlemen, Theo James (pictured) portrays the fictional lead character Eddie, who inherits 'his father's sizeable estate only to discover' its a 'weed empire owned by Mickey Pearson
As well as creating the TV series adaptation, Guy will also direct the first two episodes.
The 2019 movie starred Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, Jeremy Strong, Henry Golding, and Hugh Grant among many others.
It proved to be a box office success, grossing just over $115 million against a reported budget of $22 million.
In the film version, Mickey Pearson (played by Matthew) was a drug lord that tried to sell off his profitable marijuana business to a dynasty of billionaires.
Read Vinnie's interview in the Radio Times out now.
Read Vinnie's interview in the Radio Times out now
