David Beckham’s life has been brought to life in a new Netflix docuseries, and there are several famous faces who helped bring it to life.
BECKHAM, a four-part series, tells the inside story of one of the most recognizable footballers on the planet.
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Beckham’s story told in new Netflix series
He played for some of the biggest teams in the world, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
Additionally, the documentary chronicles the highs and lows of his career in England.
The film was directed by Oscar winner Fisher Stevens, who many know for his role as Hugo from the hit HBO series Succession.
It is noteworthy that it was thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio that Stevens received the position of director of the project.
“David was hanging out with Leo and asked him who he should take,” Stevens told The Guardian. “He recommended me! David watched Before the Flood, then Palmer (an Apple TV+ drama starring Justin Timberlake), which I directed, and saw something he liked—the emotion, I think.”
Stevens also said he had spoken to British Heritage creator Jesse Armstong, who also wrote Peep Show, and writer Tony Roche about the project.
He told Esquire: “I went to work (on The Inheritance) and asked Jesse Armstrong and Tony Roche about Beckham. We talked about football every day.
“They said, ‘You have to do this.’ He is a genius. He was a great player.” “I started researching him and said, ‘Okay, I’ll meet him,’ and the rest is history.”
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The documentary was directed by Succession star Stevens.
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DiCaprio recommended Stevens to Beckham
Stevens admitted that he came to football late, but it was Chelsea and Didier Drogba who helped him become interested in the sport.
“I went to Stamford Bridge and fell in love with Didier Drogba,” he said.
“The first documentary I produced was Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of New York Space in 2006. At that time I didn’t understand football yet. Then producer John (Batzek) took me to a Chelsea game and I fell in love.
“I was very late for the football party. Maybe that’s why David wanted me to do it. I had no baggage with Beckham. I didn’t know he had problems with the red card.”
In the docuseries, Beckham discusses the many highs and lows of his career, most notably the period of depression he experienced in the late 1990s following his removal from the 1998 World Cup.
Beckham became the target of abuse when he received a red card against Argentina.
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Beckham opens up about some of his toughest moments on the show
Reflecting on how to talk about these difficult moments, Beckham said on the red carpet: “I wanted to do it right. I will never make a documentary again.”
He also said that making the documentary was part of his process of healing from these difficult moments.
“I’ve never sat down and talked about it in such detail. Obviously, my family and friends knew what I had been through personally and professionally,” he explained.
“But to sit down and look at it in detail or go through the archive and look at things that I had never seen before, it was quite difficult.
“And then I realized how difficult it was at that time, on and off the field.
“So it’s been a really difficult time, but I guess it’s all part of the healing process.”
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