Danny Dyer might have been delighted to be reuniting with writer/director Nick Love for Marching Powder, out in cinemas this Friday, but it did lead to a painful rehearsal experience for him.
The outrageous new British comedy sees Dyer play Jack, an aging football hooligan who feels irrelevant in today's society. After he's arrested, Jack is given six weeks to turn his life around and keep his marriage together in the process.
Having made the actor play a Chelsea fan in The Football Factory, Dyer had to pretend to be a supporter of another football club other than his beloved West Ham for Marching Powder.
"It's never really flagged what team it is, actually. I think it's Millwall. I had to go to two Millwall games as a 'rehearsal process' with the boys because we didn't have time to rehearse this," Dyer told Digital Spy in an exclusive interview.
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"It was horrendous, I'm not gonna lie. I'm quite a very famous West Ham fan. I was with the right people, no one really said anything to me because I was with the right firm.
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"I still get stick for The Football Factory for playing a Chelsea fan, even though I've got to feed my kids unfortunately, So sometimes you're gonna take a hit."
Marching Powder marks Danny Dyer's fifth movie with Nick Love, and it might surprise you to learn that Love is a Millwall fan given the rivalry between the two clubs.
But Dyer added that "when a West Ham fan and a Millwall fan team up, magic happens".
It's something that Dyer's co-star Stephanie Leonidas, who plays Jack's long-suffering wife Dani, saw first-hand on set. "I wish I could say something bad because it would be so juicy, but it was the nicest set to have been on. I miss it," she reflected.
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"Him and Nick together, it's just beautiful and it trickled down through the whole cast and crew, you felt the love on set. The piece means something, this really means a lot to Nick and you felt that.
"Everyone was there because they wanted to be there. Nick calls in a lot of his friends, Nick knows everyone. I was astonished. He had his friends, his family [in it] and I think the heart trickles down to everyone."
Dyer added: "He's got his sister-in-law in it and he always does that. He always throws people in it who have never wanted to act and it just sort of works because of the trust.
"It's important, what Stephanie's saying, that you set the tone as a director and as an actor. If you've got a bit of clout, just be kind and generous to everyone and everyone enjoys themselves. I've been on many a set when that's not the case and it's awful."
Talking of family connections, Dyer recently revealed that Marching Powder also features his son Arty as Jack and Dani's son.
Marching Powder is released in UK and Irish cinemas on March 7.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
