‘Eric Cantona pushed a plate of biscuits over and, in his French accent, requested me, “Would you want… a Jammie Dodger?” I mentioned, “No thanks, Eric”‘: Actor describes showing in movie with Manchester United legend
Eric Cantona has loved an ecletic life after retiring from skilled soccer upon leaving Manchester United in 1997. He has captained the France nationwide seashore soccer group, been the director of soccer at New York Cosmos and, what he’s now most well-known for, acted in quite a few main movies and adverts.
Justin Moorhouse, most well-known for taking part in a Manchester Metropolis fan in Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, appeared within the 2009 movie Searching for Eric, a sports activities comedy-drama movie directed by Ken Loach and that includes Eric Cantona that follows a middle-aged postman going via difficulties in his life.
For Moorhouse, a Manchester United supporter in actual life, showing in a movie with one in every of his heroes proved surreal – particularly with the way in which he was launched on set.
What Eric Cantona is like on a movie set
Moorhouse (far left) stood subsequent to Cantona on the Cannes Movie Competition (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
“I used to be so excited to be in it, then Ken [Loach] phoned me someday and mentioned he wanted me to maintain a secret,” Moorhouse solely tells FourFourTwo. “I believed he was going to inform me he was a Tory or one thing!
“He mentioned, ‘We’ve received Eric Cantona within the movie, however no one is aware of he’s in it but – not even the lead actor, Steve Evets.’ Steve didn’t know Eric was within the movie till he met him on digicam. There’s some extent within the movie the place he goes, ‘What the f**ok are you doing right here?’ – that was actual!”
Cantona in Searching for Eric(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
“Earlier than taking pictures began, Ken requested me and John Henshaw to spend a while with Eric, improvising. He was unimaginable – charisma personified. We have been having a cup of tea, Eric pushed a plate of biscuits over and, in his French accent, requested, ‘Would you want… a Jammie Dodger?’ I mentioned, ‘No thanks, Eric.'”
Searching for Eric earned essential acclaim, too. The Cannes Movie Competition nominated Ken Loach for a Palme d’Or, the very best prize awarded to the director of the Greatest Characteristic Movie of the Official Competitors. Whereas it did not win, Moorhouse did get a visit to the south of France.
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” The entire expertise was nice: we went to Cannes with the movie, then they requested me to host the premiere in Salford. I received a Rolls-Royce to take my mum, made an enormous fuss of her, hosted the premiere, launched Eric and Ken, then we watched the movie and everyone liked it.
“I sat with my mum, simply on the lookout for validation. On the finish, I mentioned, ‘Properly, what did you assume?’ She mentioned, ‘It received higher in the direction of the tip.’ Cheers Mum!”
