Jodie Whittaker 'couldn't believe' Joseph Fiennes' Gareth Southgate transformation
Jodie Whittaker "couldn't believe" she wasn't sharing the screen with the real Gareth Southgate in Dear England because Joseph Fiennes was so convincing.
Jodie Whittaker "couldn't believe" she wasn't sharing the screen with the real Gareth Southgate in Dear England.
The Doctor Who actress plays sports psychologist Pippa in the BBC adaptation of the play, which tells the story of the former England manager's early days at the helm of the men's national football team, and co-star Joseph Fiennes was so convincing in the lead role, Jodie often did a double take.
Asked what it was like filming with Joseph, she said: "It is like being in a scene with Gareth Southgate! I’m really into football and I was brought up with it all my life, my dad is a massive Huddersfield Town fan, and my husband is a huge Arsenal fan, as are my kids.
"People within football are very familiar to me, so even though I knew it was Joseph Fiennes opposite me, there were so many times where I’d glance over and couldn’t believe I wasn’t looking at or talking to Gareth Southgate.
"As an actor, Joseph is phenomenal. As a person, he’s an absolute gentleman and wonderful to be around. He’s a true leader."
Although she played part of the backroom staff, Jodie couldn't resist getting competitive when helping some of her co-stars with their warm ups.
She said: "I had a Moonball that I took to set, which is a bit heavier than a tennis ball, so I played a lot of throwing and catching with the lads because they would have a kick about, but essentially, they were doing that to warm up or to practise.
"It didn’t massively interest me to get really sweaty, but I absolutely love throwing and catching, I’m like a dog! Throw a ball to me and I’ll catch it and bring it back.
"I was the on-set puppy so anyone that would play catch with me, I’d play with them.
"Being around a load of people that would play was great, then we’d adapt so that we can play the game inside with my ball. We had this amazing game where we tried to bounce the ball into the box in the middle of the corridor, it was so satisfying because when I won, I never felt a greater achievement than
beating a lot of 20-something lads at a game like that!"
Dear England is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday (24.05.26).
