Mem Ferda/Pusher Interview

Hello Mem, thank you for taking the time to talk to me again. We spoke previously about your role in The Devil's Double, and now we are talking about your prominent role in Pusher, the remake of Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 Danish classic.

What can you tell us about it?

This is an English language remake, set in London instead of Copenhagen. It's about a mid level drug dealer, Frank, and his aspirations of making lots of money fast.  This slowly spirals out of control when he owes large amounts of money to Turkish drug dealers.  Frank's life soon descends into a living hell losing everything he has. The film is a no-holds barred, gritty and real look into the underworld of drug pushing.

Tell us about your character Hakan, who you play in the movie.

Hakan is a 'nice' tough guy of Turkish descent, who works for Milo a drug baron.  He is a victim of circumstance, trapped into doing a job he doesn't like. He is not your stereotypical villain he has complex layers and dimensions to his personality, which makes him a fascinating character to play.

What research did you do for Hakan?

I did a lot, as I view each role as a unique commitment and opportunity to research.  You have to research to understand the real motivations of a given character, the more intricate and involved you become the better the result.  For me, Hakan depicted an accurate reflection of how people find themselves entangled in crime when trying to better them-selves. The script had me engrossed when I read it, so thanks to Matthew Read for doing such a good job.

How did the opportunity fall into your lap?

The conventional way via my agent setting up a meeting. The audition process was tough, as they always are. I was prepared and confident I'd do a good job.  I liked the original Pusher trilogy, I felt it translated internationally, appealing to all cultures. There isn't a city not affected by an underground drug trade, so the message is universal in the film.

The cast includes, Richard Coyle, Agyness Deyn, Zlatko Buric and director Luis Prieto doing his first English language film. What was it like working with them all?

I've worked with Richard before so it was brilliant to work with him again, he is hugely talented and a hard worker, which helped a lot. Agyness is lovely, down to earth with a warm, vibrant personality. Zlatko was fun, I had to teach him some Turkish dialogue for the Milo role, he nailed the pronunciation in no time. I had seen Luis' previous work 'Ho Voglia di te' and was excited to work with him.  He is a fine director.

Remakes can endorse a lack of orginality, where do you stand on them?

Personally, I feel one should have an open mind regarding remakes, and judge them on their own merits, I can guarantee you this remake is on par, if not better, than the 1996 original.

You have hit a nice run with The Devil's Double, Pusher and the forthcoming Ill Manors, what was Plan B like to work with?

I like Ben Drew, aka Plan B's music. His lyrics have a rebellious spirit which appeals to me personally and when I learnt he was doing a soundtrack for the film also, I was eager to get onboard.  I was intrigued to see how he would work as a director.. he was unconventional and stayed true to his convictions, having a strong idea of what he wanted.  Ill Manors is very dark, gritty and harsh, it is a hip hop musical that follows six characters on East London streets.

You’ve garnered a lot of credits to your name, how do you stay ambitious?

It's my job, which I enjoy doing and hope to keep on doing. After I achieved my BSc in Psychology and Master’s in Business Administration, I went on to do a Postgraduate in classical acting at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), I was snapped up by a mainstream agent and many doors opened for me.

You have a strong presence which helps you play many villains, do you worry about being typecast?

No, I feel a lot of actors get stereotyped, which is actually a good thing for it helps establish an identity.  It is competitive in acting and the chance to give yourself that identity is vital.  Now my preoccupation is to expand my range and versatility even more, so I’m being very cautious in the roles that are kindly offered to me.

How do you deal with all the media attention?

It can be awkward, the press can badger your nearest and dearest for a story which is annoying. But on the whole the appreciation from genuine fans makes up for this intrusion.  I'm quite grounded as an individual, and on the odd occasion when I do drift with my ego, I have a great partner that brings me back down to earth.

What is in the pipeline?

I have four feature films, three of which I am the leading man, which is exciting.  Two are horror films, which is a new genre for me and a thriller and a comedy.  I don't want to tempt fate by talking about them until I have to, but please go to my website www.memferda.com or follow me on twitter @memferda1 for details.

Thank you very much for your time, I wish you every success with the films.

 My pleasure, anytime.

Harry or Hodgson

The news that on Sunday (29th April), the Football Association (FA) made an approach to West Bromich Albion to begin talks with their manager, Roy Hodgson about the vacant position of England manager came as some sort of surprise to many.  Even more so when it became knowledge that Hodgson was the only manager that they have approached.  This means that the FA will be holding no talks with any other available manager, most prominently Harry Redknapp, the bookmakers favourite and People's Choice for the role this summer at the European Championships.

Hodgson is a vastly experienced manager, in world football and with esteemed clubs across Europe.  Hodgson took a limited Switzerland side to the 1994 World Cup in USA where they made the first knockout round, beyond expectations.

It seems that Hodgson works against this brief at every club.  Exceed expectations.  At Fulham, he took the team to the Europa League final, most notably defeating Juventus 4-1 at home to win on aggregate; before they lost to a very good Atletico Madrid starring Diego Forlan in the final.  This came a season after he saved the club with a last day escape at Portsmouth. Yet this journey to that final gave Hodgson some cache and was given the chance at a big club in England, having previously managed Inter Milan in Italy.

Liverpool came a calling and Hodgson understandably jumped at the opportunity, much like he will with the England job, yet Liverpool turned into a poisoned chalice of a job.  Hodgson struggled to gain rewards through his tactics and vision, there were chants from the crowds of boring football and a series of bad results ending with a home defeat to Wolves in early January 2011 led to the guillotine being dropped on Roy as he headed for the hills.

During a new takeover of the club by the Fenway group, Roy did not fit the bill as the head coach who installed Kop legend, Kenny Dalglish, as manager for the remainder of the season.  The new owners opened their chequebook for Dalglish, something they failed to for Hodgson who signed Joe Cole, a player who failed to impress or fit into the system behind Fernando Torres and in front of Steven Gerrard.

After Hodgson's departure, new signing Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll arrived in the January transfer window; then Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in the summer.  Hodgson could have benefited from such signings, yet his pedigree deserved longer than 6 months in charge at a big job.

He shortly returned to management landing with the baggies in West Bromich Albion; a team he resuscitated surviving a nervy relegation battle with games to spare.  A solid summer signing players who work hard and gaining more out of players has led to a solid season, that will avoid the threat of relegation easily without moving up.  That must be a target for the club to break the top 10 next season, of course it would need Hodgson to remain at the Hawthorns, something that looks unlikely.

So why has Hodgson being picked over Redknapp?  A lot has been made of Redknapp's trial in early January for tax evasion, for which he was acquited from.  Since then and following Fabio Capello's resignation, it was expected that Redknapp would be told the England job was his come the end of the season.

Yet the FA have played the waiting game to see how both managers have fared.  In early January, Tottenham were knocking on the door of a title race, and looking assured in 3rd place 11 points clear of Arsenal.  Yet a disastrous last hour of the game away at Arsenal, going from 2-0 up to 5-2 down led to defeats against Manchester United, Everton and further dropped points away to Chelsea and Sunderland, and a crippling home defeat to Norwich.  Tottenham are battling for 4th now, they are ahead of Newcastle on goal difference, yet have an easier run-in with three winnable games - Bolton (A), Villa (A) and Fulham (H) - compared to the Toon Army who have to travel to Chelsea and play champions elect, Manchester City at home.

Yet the poor run of results for Tottenham following a 5-0 home victory over Newcastle, resulted in one win (Swansea 3-1 at home) in 9 games showed a bit of naivety on Redknapp's behalf.  For most of the season, he has an idea of a starting XI who have played or started most of the season.  In this day and age of quicker more intense play, the team could have done with squad rotation yet unfortunate injuries to Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and always niggled Aaron Lennon, has led to few players getting rest when it could have been afforded.  Also the requirement to give Ledley King a week off between games has actually  been counter-productive for continuity as King has actually looked slower this season than ever before as he fights father time.
Redknapp also let several squad players depart - Vedrun Corluka and Steven Pienaar left on loan to Dortmund and Everton respectively, yet Pienaar would have had a good run following Lennon's hamstring and his form at Everton has helped that side end the season in formidable form, assisting and scoring goals.  For Everton, Pienaar replaced Landon Donovan effortlessly.
Redknapp also trusts the starting XI too much failing to make substitutions or leaving them too late for any player to make an impact; also the lack of impact off the bench (sorry Jermain Defoe) might make this a mute point.
He has also not been helped by players such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale not living up to their own standards or thinking about next season's employment.  It goes without saying that if Tottenham fail to get Champions League football, those two players will depart.

Yet Redknapp also has too much of a personality for the job, of course he has a good relationship with the press but can he deal with the pressure of a whole nation.  In a knockout tournament, his tactics might get found out quickly, and he has to be able to keep a lot of egos happy in one dressing room.  Whilst the players may respect Redknapp, there is a difference between appreciating a man and listening to him.

Hodgson may garner as much respect, but he has a bit more tactical nous about him in relation to how other nations play football; England need a tactical mastermind for the European championships, not a cheerleader.

Public Enemies

Originally broadcast in January of this year on BBC One, the three part series which was transmitted on consecutive evenings was created by Tony Marchant, and starred Anna Friel (back from Hollywood) and the underrated Daniel Mays.

The story revolves around two people who are off the rails who are attempting to get back on track.  Probation officer, Paula Radnor (Friel) has an assailant under her supervision but who on release murders a young woman.  Under great scrutiny, Paula is suspended and pleads, 'as much as you want to, you can't hold their hand 24 hours a day.'

Three months later, she is given the case of Eddie Mottram (Mays) who is out 10 years after strangling his girlfriend , 'I am out, but I'm not free'.

The writer Marchant, has a penchant for writing gritty, hard-edged material that does make you realise you have not got it as bad as you might think.

The episodes have a real zip to them, conveying a lot of information without succumbing to needless histrionics. This is thanks in part to the formidable acting display by Mays, who is slowly coming to national prominence after being under the radar for so long.  Friel does what she can with a role that could have been unlikeable, and one written where she should not garner such sympathies, yet Friel is adept at being strong when her character is weak or put upon.

A really gripping and sustainable piece of British drama that is a competent mixture of acting, writing and befitting of the current social climate.

Public Enemies is released by BBC Films on DVD on Monday 30th April, and distributed by Arrow Films

The Iron Lady

When it came to the Oscars this year, there were two women up for Best Actress in roles where they impersonated famous female icons of the 20th century.  Meryl Streep (who won) portrayed Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who was as polarising a cultural and social figure during her tenure, more so than her successors Blair and Cameron.  Michelle Williams, played Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn, the sultry screen siren of Hollywood during the 1950s and 60s.  It was a surprise that Streep (who has won two Oscars previously) beat out Williams who failed one her third nomination, as Hollywood usually salute their own history and the passing over of a Monroe imitation came as a shock as the Best Picture was awarded to The Artist a film about the silent era of the silver screen.

The Iron Lady is released on DVD tomorrow (Monday 30th April) and so many will get a chance to examine Streep's dead on impersonation and portrayal of Maggie, she is helped by a sterling turn by Jim Broadbent as her esteemable husband, Denis.

The film is not your typical biopic, and does not follow the generic structure of a biopic movie.  Usually you follow the star/idol from humble beginnings through to success via questions of loyalty and trouble to the height of acclaim to the eventual fall from grace ending with a triumphant return and comeback.  Much like the life of Elvis but set to film.

Recently biopics specifically Ray (Ray Charles) and Walk the Line (Johnny Cash) used the narrative structure of focusing on the height of those gentleman's success over a 10 year period and only focusing on their earlier life in short flashbacks upon incidents that caused them to be the conflicted characters they became.

The Iron Lady's script by acclaimed author, Abi Morgan, takes the route of meeting the former PM in an elderly state, retired from public life, battling dementia and having visions of her dead husband roaming around the house, which worries her daughter Carol (Olivia Coleman).

The script then goes into the flashback format of the biopic genre, we meet Margaret Roberts - the grocer's daughter - who after an initial loss in a by-election becomes a MP at an early age.  Then comes the promotion and a place in the Conservative government and eventual rise to leader of the party before her election as leader of the country in 1979.

The script by Morgan covers all the major talking points of her leadership - Falklands, coal mine disputes, poll tax riots, the Brighton bombing in 1982 - yet it does not do this chronological order instead it uses Margaret's wilting memory and identity as an excuse to skip from one event to the other; so we get the triumph of the Falklands in 1982, happening here after the coal mine riots and social clashes in Brixton and Toxteth which actually occured in 1983.  The triumph of the Falklands leads to a business boom in Britain and wonderful international relations with America and a darling of the media.

In actuality, Thatcher was always fighting and always up against it from unions, voters, media and even people in her party which led to the eventual leadership race with Geoffrey Howe (Anthony Head) and Michael Heseltine (Richard E. Grant), a race that actually crosses out the winner and future PM John Major.

The script whilst aiming to be something more akin to Peter Morgan's The Queen which starred Helen Mirren, is somewhat slapdash and attempts to be something greater than it is, and unfortunately does a disservice to the legend of Mrs.Thatcher, a woman who was always on her own in a fight and yet was strict enough to stand by her convictions and beliefs. The direction by Phylidia Lloyd offers nothing in terms of visual panache, although the focusing on hands as a motif of recollection and remembering is a nice touch.

We seem to get a depiction of a famous leader who always had to fight but was shaped more by the events she had to govern over rather than putting her footprint down on her people; although the compassion and companionship between Margaret and Denis is never in doubt thanks to the wonderful performances by Streep and Broadbent.

The Iron Lady is out on DVD from Monday 30th April from Pathe Home Entertainment

Hall of Fame: McNabb v Dawkins

Two players who will forever be remembered as Philadelphia Eagles have both made statements in the last week; one has done it with dignity and humility you would expect, the other is making noises that louder the more insignificant he has become.

Donovan McNabb is still an active player, an unattached free agent who is seeking a team to throw for.  He is currently unattached because he has two awful seasons with the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings.

Brian Dawkins, the 2nd round draft pick out of Clemson, became an irrepressible Safety who was a starter from his first season in 1996 and became an integral part of the team that went to five NFC championship games and one Superbowl.  Dawkins was the leader of the defence, the defence that scored points and allowed the offence marshalled by McNabb the opportunity to take them to these milestone games.

Whilst McNabb is making noises that he is hall of fame worthy, Dawkins is going to slope off into a quiet retirement.  The Eagles have even extended an invitation to the Denver Broncos player to return to Philly so he can officially retire in the green of an Eagle.  McNabb left on bitter terms with the Eagle organisation, and is not so welcome.

My argument and belief is that Dawkins is most certainly worthy of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.  Defensive players of note and of great skill playing levels are few and far between, especially at safety.  John Lynch is a name who is first time ballot for sure, yet Dawkins work off the field and the fact he is so beloved in the city and the team still helps.  And even when he went to Denver, he elevated that franchise.  The work Dawkins did with Champ Bailey in the defence at Mile High, helped Denver win some of their games and got somewhat overshadowed by the hysteria of Tebow-mania.  Remember a prolific Ben Roethlisberger was expected to stomp over this leaky Denver defence, and did he?  No, Big Ben's numbers on that night were woeful (22-40, 289yds, 1TD, 1INT, 75.9rating)

It also helps that Dawkins has some great career numbers, 26 sacks, 37 forced fumbles (16 recovered) and 37 interceptions.

As for McNabb, his argument is a difficult one.  For a quarterback to be elite, you have to have at least one ring on your finger.  Look at all the active ones you consider they have the jewellry - Brady, Big Ben, Eli, Peyton, Rodgers, Brees, even Brett Favre did get one.  The only elite one at the moment is Philip Rivers and that is due to his productivity and efficiency, expect him to bounce back this season.

Dawkins is a shoe in because he played fair but played hard.  He was an exemplary model of professionalism with a clean sheet of integrity and respect from his peers.

As for McNabb he has now left three teams (Eagles, Redskins, Vikings) all with a cloud over his head.  Yet for a player you live and die by what have you won.  The Eagles never won the QB, ultimately the one they played in was against a good New England side, yet they had a chance to tie yet took too long.  That comes down to the QB and his coach.

There is an argument that if Jim Kelly is in, why not McNabb.  They share similar figures, McNabb has 37,726 to Kelly's 35,467 yet Kelly played in two Superbowls to McNabb's one, yet he was the franchise in Buffalo.

Should he retire now, McNabb's figures are ecliped already by the still very active Brady (39,979), Brees (40,742), Peyton (54,828).  He is also behind people who are questionable entries Drew Bledsoe (44,611), Kerry Collins (40,922) - two players who also lost in SuperBowls yet have had storied careers also.  I am not saying Collins is going to the Hall, Bledsoe might, but McNabb has thrown less than Collins.  Even someone like Matt Hasselbeck (33,150) is not far behind McNabb, and he is certainly not HoF but at least he has a job.

Interestingly, Kurt Warner (32,344) has thrown 5,000 yards less than McNabb yet when he becomes eligible in 2014 he is a first ballot certainty; he played in 3 superbowls and won one.  Yet he was the man who marshalled the greatest show on turf, and resurrected his career in Arizona where many thought he went to retire, he took a ragtag to the SuperBowl and very nearly got the upset.

People say McNabb deserves it more than Troy Aikman (32,942) yet Aikman won three titles, admittedly more due to having a great back like Emmitt Smith to complement him.

McNabb is in that group like Phil Simms (33,462) who although won a SuperBowl is not going to make it and Simms won a ring.  McNabb also has a career Passer rating of 85.6% , that needs to be nearer to 95% like Brady/Manning will be.

Like Skip Bayless says on First Take, if you have to think about someone being in the Hall of Fame for half a second, chances are they do not deserve it.  Love him or hate him, Brett Favre will be in the Hall of Fame with a click of the fingers.  McNabb may have to wait a bit longer, although depending upon retirements and eligibility he may well scrap in, but if it is the first year it will be surprising.

Asante Samuel and Draft thoughts

Asante Samuel, the four-time pro bowler, of the Philadelphia Eagles has left the city of Brotherly Love, and was willing enough to restructure his contract to make a move to Atlanta Falcons possible.

Samuel, was due to be paid $9.9m in 2012 if he stayed with the Eagles; the contract now reads as a 3 year, $18.5m deal.  Considering he is an elite player in his position, and seeing that the Falcons only gave up a 7th round draft pick in this year's draft- this is a deal that suits the Falcons down to the ground.

The Eagles will not cry, in thinking they have lost a player - they still have Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback.  Yet they needed to clear some players from the payroll, and now they have 10 picks in the draft.  Whereas Atlanta only have five picks total, with no first round pick.

In an interview, Samuel said, 'The Falcons already have an excellent team, excellent coaches...I'm just going to add to the bunch to get to the one common goal.'

That goal must be a legitimate play-off run for a team that has good regular season campaigns but seem to suffer in the playoff spotlight.  In 2010, they were 13-3 yet lost to the eventual champions, Green Bay Packers; and last season, a 10-6 record led to a defeat to (again) eventual champions, New York Giants were they scored only two points (a safety).

Samuel joins Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes in the Falcons secondary, yet whilst that is three top talents and questions remain over Samuel's inability to play man to man, and prefers the idea of zone coverage, he will no doubt help a defence that allowed the second most 30 yard passes to the defence's left side last season.

Whilst he only had 3 interceptions in 14 games last season, his 38 INTs since 2006 lead the NFL.

Head coach, Mike Smith seems pleased with the acquisition, ' Asante Samuel is a good football player and you can never have enough good players on your team. Our game has become more of a passing game, and you have to have the players who can neutralise how offences are trying to attack you.'

As for the draft, obviously you expect the Falcons to be quiet yet for the Eagles with 10 picks including three of the first 51 picks you can anticipate some movement in the first round.  Possibly a team that is high on the board like Jacksonville at 7 will be willing to trade down, and be willing to hear offers for anything available. The Jags are covered on offence, and are a stuttering team - so if they are still on the board at that time, the Eagles may well jump at the chance to get Stephon Gilmore (South Carolina), Fletcher Cox (Miss State), Courtney Upshaw (Alabama).

Other draft thoughts
Miami going for Ryan Tannehill is a reach and a mistake, they have two decent QBs who can get the job done, they have a resurgent Reggie Bush and decent receivers underneath.  Either they go for a wide reciever (Blackmon/Floyd/Hill), or sort out a leaky defence in a league where they are facing Brady, Sanchez and Fitzpatrick

All the talk of Matt Kalil not going to the Minnesota Vikings, who are instead looking at Morris Claiborne (LSU) at cornerback may well lead to Kalil falling into the St. Louis Rams' lap and such a great addition to their lineup.  Of course if Kalil does go to the Vikings as he should do, Fletcher Cox dwill not be a bad player either.

The draft will come alive at No.7 when the Jags pick becomes live, the first six picks will sort themselves out but once the Eagles trade for 7, then all the fun will begin all over the board.

Expect the Patriots to use one of their two 1st round picks to sort out their defence at safety - Mark Barron (Alabama) or Harrison Smith (Notre Dame) or at pass rush for Michael Brockers (LSU) or Quinton Coples, either by trading up or waiting to see who is available.

Long term - Michael Floyd will have a better NFL career than Justin Blackmon

Did Man Utd go to sleep?

At about 2.10pm on Sunday 22nd April at Old Trafford, the champagne could have been put on ice for next Monday evening, the people who polish the Premier League trophy could have thought about leaving the red and white ribbons on for this season.

68 minutes into the league encounter with Everton, Manchester United took a 4-2 lead thanks to a well converted strike from Nani.  Twenty odd minutes left to endure, to see out the game and take a seven point lead into the Manchester derby at the Ethiad Stadium next Monday evening.

Yet a resilient Everton still smarting from a FA Cup semi-final defeat last weekend to their neighbours Liverpool, showed a true case of character as they scored two goals to snatch a 4-4 draw and spoil the Red Devils party atmosphere.  It was no surprise that once Everton got their 3rd goal the heavens opened to rain on the parade.

Yet this should not be considered a case of complacency or taking Everton lightly, as each goal the blue shirted men scored was true and down to their hard work throughout the game.  No deflected shots to bemoan, no dodgy officiating decision to bitch about - Everton scored four goals at Old Trafford and did not lose, they were value for the draw.

Everton took the lead, Nikica Jelavic sending a far post header back across a statuesque David de Gea.  United rightly responded with a Rooney header to equalise before half-time.

In the second half, United continued to prosper with Danny Welbeck curling a beautiful shot from the edge of the box when he sold a dummy to buy space.  Then Rooney rounded off a smart passing move to take a 3-1 lead, yet the Toffeemen would not go away.  Marouane Fellaini converted a Tony Hibbert cross with a smart volley when given room by the less than impressive Jonny Evans.

Then Nani's strike came to give a two goal cushion, yet their was never an air of comfort throughout the stadium.  And yet David Moyes did not give up.  Before the scoreline became 4-2, he introduced James McFadden a striker to operate as a man in the hole behind Jelavic and Fellaini who were becoming a handful for Rio Ferdinand and Evans.

McFadden became a passing option, his movement across in front of the front two becoming a worry as to who was to track him.  Phil Neville would then launch a ball into the box to the towering Fellaini.  The presence worked as both Ferdinand and Evans went to challenge for the aerial delivery, that left Jelavic free to convert his second with a sweetly struck volley from the dropping ball.

Immediately, after that Moyes brought on Tim Cahill for Sylvain Distin to throw caution to the wind and this added attacking presence led to the naivety of Rafael de Silva in defence to be shown up.  A neat passing move between Steven Pienaar and Fellaini led to Pienaar with acres of space to convert the equaliser.  Whilst people are pointing the finger at De Silva, Paul Scholes was also drawn into the ball rather than tracking the run of Pienaar who was untouched and ghosted into the path of Fellaini's return ball.

So yes maybe United did go to sleep, and Ferguson did bemoan the lack of his defence to stand up and be counted but this does a disservice to Everton's wonderful play and taking part in a great advert for the Premier League.

Thanks to Man City's 2-0 win at Wolves, City are three points behind and will go ahead of United on goal difference should they win next Monday.  City have the initiative, they have a home game and you can expect the atmosphere will be fierce.  Yet United can afford to draw and attempt to not lose, as they have games remaining afterwards against Swansea and Sunderland.

Ferguson says the ball is in City's court, yet United just have to go and not lose the game next week.  The emphasis is on City, if they want to win this League they better go and win this game.