The It’s A Sin star spoke to RadioTimes.com about his key role in the new Netflix film about the Homeless World Cup.
Callum Scott Howells has explained how he hopes new Netflix film The Beautiful Game will shift audiences’ perspectives on homelessness.
The film, which also stars Bill Nighy and Michael Ward, tells a fictionalised story inspired by the real Homeless World Cup – an annual football tournament created by Mel Young and Harald Schmied to “support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives”.
Howells plays Nathan, a member of the England squad, and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of the film’s launch on Netflix, he talked about some of the stigmas he hopes the film can bust.
“What’s so great about our film is it’s not really raw, it’s not like making a Ken Loach [film],” he said. “It’s actually great for families – families can watch this film, like my brother and my nieces and nephews watched it and loved it.
“And I think that [can be] this stigma-busting thing for young people and families and children.”
He added: “When I was growing up, homelessness to me was kind of just like people on the street begging. However, it’s so much more nuanced than that, obviously.
“Homelessness means something different to every single person who lives on this earth, and I think this film does a really good job of covering the spectrum of that – you see so many different people from different walks of life, and that’s exactly what the kind of micro/macro of the tournament is.”
The film achieved a degree of authenticity by virtue of casting former Homeless World Cup players as supporting artists, and this is something which Howells felt was particularly special about the experience of making the movie.
“It made set just, like, such a vibe – like, it made it so fun to be around everyday,” he said. “And becuase it’s a Netflix movie, they built a camp – like a Homeless World Cup kind of space. It wasn’t just a soundstage, it was a whole kind of thing that they built in Rome.
“Which was remarkable, really, because then it really felt like you were there throughout the whole thing. So it was really special, and spending every day in and around former players taught us so much, and it just really helped us tell this story as authentically and truthfully as we could.”
While the idea of playing football in Rome was very much a dream acting role for Welshman Howells, there was perhaps just one slight reservation about the job – putting on an England top rather than a Welsh one.
But that was something he quickly got over, even if he won’t be sporting a Three Lions strip again anytime soon.
“I had to get used to it very quickly,” he laughed. “Putting it on the first time was very hard… it was a hard pill to swallow.
“But I was just like, you know, it’s a character, I’m acting, and it’s all for a great cause, so knowing that made it a lot easier. But outside of this film, I’ll never be putting on an England top!”
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Joking aside, Howells is greatly looking forward to viewers having the chance to watch the film and learning more about the Homeless World Cup Foundation and the great work it has accomplished since its inception in 2001.
“I really hope that people really know that the Homeless World Cup is this incredible force for good in the world,” he said.
“And actually, when you take away hooliganism and racism and homophobia – all the bad things that can be associated with football – when you take all that away, and actually you just have people and a ball just getting together and celebrating this amazing sport, it’s actually the most amazing thing.
“The Homeless World Cup has changed a lot of people’s lives, and I’m not shocked because I got to kind of experience it first-hand making this movie.
“And I really hope that everyone who watches the film gets behind the tournament – like, if it’s in a city near them, go and support it – because regardless of what country you come from, the people involved in this tournament are extraordinary. And I really hope everyone sees that in this film.”
The Beautiful Game is streaming on Netflix from Friday 29th March 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on tonight.
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