The film, which also stars Bill Nighy and Michael Ward, tells a fictionalised story inspired by the real Homeless World Cup<\/a> \u2013 an annual football tournament created by Mel Young and Harald Schmied to \u201csupport and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives\u201d.<\/p>\n Howells plays Nathan, a member of the England squad, and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a> ahead of the film\u2019s launch on Netflix, he talked about some of the stigmas he hopes the film can bust.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so great about our film is it\u2019s not really raw, it\u2019s not like making a Ken Loach [film],\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s actually great for families \u2013 families can watch this film, like my brother and my nieces and nephews watched it and loved it.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think that [can be] this stigma-busting thing for young people and families and children.\u201d<\/p> He added: \u201cWhen I was growing up, homelessness to me was kind of just like people on the street begging. However, it\u2019s so much more nuanced than that, obviously.<\/p>\n \u201cHomelessness 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 \u2013 you see so many different people from different walks of life, and that\u2019s exactly what the kind of micro\/macro of the tournament is.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt made set just, like, such a vibe \u2013 like, it made it so fun to be around everyday,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd becuase it\u2019s a Netflix movie, they built a camp \u2013 like a Homeless World Cup kind of space. It wasn\u2019t just a soundstage, it was a whole kind of thing that they built in Rome.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 putting on an England top rather than a Welsh one.<\/p>\n But that was something he quickly got over, even if he won\u2019t be sporting a Three Lions strip again anytime soon.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to get used to it very quickly,\u201d he laughed. \u201cPutting it on the first time was very hard\u2026 it was a hard pill to swallow.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I was just like, you know, it\u2019s a character, I\u2019m acting, and it\u2019s all for a great cause, so knowing that made it a lot easier. But outside of this film, I\u2019ll never be putting on an England top!\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI really hope that people really know that the Homeless World Cup is this incredible force for good in the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd actually, when you take away hooliganism and racism and homophobia \u2013 all the bad things that can be associated with football \u2013 when you take all that away, and actually you just have people and a ball just getting together and celebrating this amazing sport, it\u2019s actually the most amazing thing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Homeless World Cup has changed a lot of people\u2019s lives, and I\u2019m not shocked because I got to kind of experience it first-hand making this movie.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I really hope that everyone who watches the film gets behind the tournament \u2013 like, if it\u2019s in a city near them, go and support it \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/TheBeautifulGame-d1fed34.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Michael")
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