Ian Wright said that part of his reasoning for walking away from Match of The Day this year is a desire to try new things. That could be as an actor as the 60-year-old made his movie debut in Netflix’s The Kitchen.
At an age and with enough money in the bank where he never has to work again, our former striker sees the importance of stepping outside of his comfort zone.
That’s what he’s done by playing the role of Lord Kitchener, the radio host of the fictional housing estate, set in the future where social housing has been eliminated.
I won’t give spoilers as I do think the drama is worth a watch, but all Gooners should be proud that one of our own’s performances has been critically praised by the industry.
It would be wrong to say the Gunner had to act. He didn’t really have to worry about interacting with others, in many ways he could be himself. What he was asked to do was essentially be the positive soundtrack to an, at times, sad story.
His distinctive voice was asked to read monologues, at times offering hope and encouragement. Anyone who’s ever had to do public speaking will know it’s not always the content of what you say but your delivery. An audience can tell if the speaker believes in the words he speaks or if he simply is reading what’s on a piece of paper.
That’s what Daniel Kaluuya wanted to achieve. In his directional debut, his casting wasn’t just based on him happening to support Arsenal.
He says: ‘He’s quite an advocate for different communities and different people and then that’s a thing that he could build on in finding that as his first acting role.’
Aware of Wright’s past and his views, through a character he’s simply channelling his own frustrations with the state of the world, of the city he loves. There is simply no different between Ian Wright the person and the DJ he plays here.
Fellow director Kibwe Tavares adds: “He’s not playing Ian Wright, but we weren’t asking him to sort of look for things that were outside of him. It was feeding into who he is as a person, like what his belief systems are. […] It wasn’t sort of like playing make-believe. He could sort of understand the emotions and where we were coming from.”
Many ex-players turn into pundits, but few make such a splash on a huge Netflix blockbuster. Not on their first attempt at acting.
Ian Wright’s own story could be a movie. An inspirational one. This is just the latest chapter, where he succeeded in spite of his childhood, where he overcame abuse, where he proved so many wrong. Things like this were not meant to happen to someone from his environment and upbringing.
Yet again, very hard not to be so proud of Ian Wright.
Dan
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A legend in his own right, there are great footballers and great human beings, Ian Wright tickled both boxes.
Want to wish the Arsenal old stalwart well in his new endeavor.
One of the best Arsenal legend who indeed is a true passionate fan even as a pundit. I can’t remember any better. I wish Ian Wright all the best in his endeavour.
Saw him in the movie and thought he did a good job. The movie itself was a good watch as well. I highly recommend. Jus sayin…
A most interesting and informative piece Dan.
I had no idea that any of this was happening and wish him every success.
He is surely someone we can ALL admire for his humanity, passion, honesty of character, hard work and bubbly personality.