How David Beckham's foot injury gave Keira Knightly her big break
AN INJURY to David Beckham helped to make a low-budget British film a huge box office hit, according to its director.
Keira Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham, the film that launched her acting career
Gurinder Chadha said the then England captain broke a bone in his foot the day before the 2002 premiere of Bend It Like Beckham, generating publicity for the movie.
The film about an 18-year-old girl who plays football against the wishes of her strict Sikh parents launched the careers of Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra.
Gurinder Chadha directed the 2002 film
Ironically, Beckham wasn’t that famous when we first approached him because it took us about four years to get the film off the ground
“Ironically, Beckham wasn’t that famous when we first approached him because it took us about four years to get the film off the ground,” Gurinder told Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young.
“By the time the film came out he was a mega superstar. “He was going to come down for the premiere but the day before he broke his foot.
Beckham broke his foot during a Champions League match in 2002
And then of course the headlines were ‘Mend It Like Beckham’ or ‘Break It Like Beckham’.”
The 55-year-old mother-of two’s song choices included Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run and the hymn Jerusalem.
Keira Knightly and Parminder Nagra during the premiere
She chose a translation of Punjabi love stories as her book and home movies of her children as her luxury item.
• Desert Island Discs is on BBC Radio 4 today at 11.15am.