Director Gurinder Chadha, guest of the Cannes Marché, told how Harrison Ford was instrumental in launching the project of Bend It Like Beckham, a very successful “ethnic” comedy. Unbeknownst to her, at least until a few days ago…
Remember Dreaming of Beckhamsthe comedy he launched Keira Knightley over twenty years ago? Keira was actually the film’s co-star Gurinder Chadhawhere it was told of a indian girl (Parminder Nagra) che a London challenged the parental traditionalismwith his desire to play football. Dreaming of Beckham was a great success, and the director recounted, in the context of a meeting at the Marché del Cannes Film Festivalcome Harrison Ford it was fundamental to find the financing of that film… without his knowledge, at least at the beginning! It’s a funny story.
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Harrison Ford used as an example for Bend It Like Beckham, word by Gurinder Chadha
Twenty years ago, when the term “inclusiveness” was nowhere near used as now, the director Gurinder Chadhawhich he recently signed Blinded by the Light – Overwhelmed by the musiche dreamed of bringing his film to life Dreaming of Beckhams. But he could not find the necessary funds. He collided with the doubts of the lenders … and then he decided to respond in kind “using” Harrison Ford, during one of the many presentations of the project, in that case at the UK Film Council, looking for a budget. As?
I had been struggling to make this film for a long time, because I truly believed the world was changing, I believed that my cultural paradigm had a reason and I had just entered the world of British cinema. I wrote the script with my husband Paul, it was international, it was a human story and I didn’t understand why it wasn’t accepted. (…) I was furious, I said: you invite me to all these conferences to talk about how difficult it is to make films, especially if you are a black person, you make me speak on all platforms but then in the end you don’t support me. You have to support me! (…) I was told that the reason this film would never be made was that I would never have been able to find an Indian girl who shot like Beckham! It was the main reason!!! Then I replied: “But do you think Harrison Ford really jumps off helicopters?”
It was the key phrase that unlocked, during that meeting at UK Film Council, public funding to start the project! Now imagine a leap forward of twenty years. A few days ago – as you know – Harrison Ford was in Cannes to promote Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destiny (in theaters from June 28), and Gurinder met Ford for the first time at one of the official dinners of the Festival. He obviously has them told immediately this story, to which Harrison said to her, tersely with his classic sense of humor: “Well, I am happy to have helped your career… but, I really jump off those fucking helicopters!”