AN award-winning actor is set to portray Gareth Southgate in a National Theatre play.
And he reckons the popular boss has a “spine of steel” after resurrecting England’s national side.
GettyGareth Southgate will be portrayed by a Hollywood star in a National Theatre play[/caption]
Not known, clear with picture deskJoseph Fiennes can’t wait to appear as the Three Lions boss[/caption]
Hollywood star Joseph Fiennes, 53, is playing Southgate in the upcoming play ‘Dear England’.
The piece takes its name from Southgate’s open letter to supporters in 2021 ahead of the Euros.
And Fiennes is now set to deliver in his role as the Three Lions manager in front of a packed house at the National Theatre from June 10 until August 11.
The actor is best known for his role as William Shakespeare in 1998 box office hit ‘Shakespeare in Love’, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award.
But Fiennes believes playing Southgate on stage will be one of the performances of his career.
He told the BBC: “[Southgate] has got a sort of moral integrity and compass.
“He’s been brought up as a young player in a very toxic male environment and you can imagine that he wants to unshackle himself, giving players their voice.
“You can’t possibly run the England team without having some kind of backbone.
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Not known, clear with picture deskThe play is set to begin this month[/caption]
“He’s someone who has a temperate way of dealing with emotions, unlike probably what he saw in the changing room.
“But don’t be misled by that. He has a steel spine.”
Playwright James Graham added: “We’re talking about national identity and the burden of history during a particular time in our national history.
“We want to try and make sense of that through the England football team rather than politicians or anyone else.
“We hope it gives the play real significance and helps an audience make sense of the past few years on the pitch and off the pitch.”
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