Bradley James | 'Fast Girls' Q&A - 'I enjoyed massaging women's legs on Fast Girls'
DigitalSpy: Bradley James Q&A: 'I enjoyed massaging women's legs on Fast Girls'
[click to read]Bradley James Q&A: 'I enjoyed massaging women's legs on Fast Girls'
Merlin star Bradley James hopped onto the big screen this summer to play physio Carl in Noel Clarke's Olympics-themed Fast Girls. While the likes of Lenora Crichlow and Lily James were in the midst of strict training regimes to prepare, James told Digital Spy that he had one thing on his mind: convincingly giving leg massages.
Also up for discussion were the ingredients needed to make a good sports movie, how he related to Fast Girls and James's experience watching Mo Farah bag an Olympic gold medal this summer.
What drew you to Fast Girls and made you want to be a part of it?
"I think it was the fact that I was able to massage women's legs, professionally speaking, and not have someone report me to the police for it! I was happy to take on that tough role."
The girls went through a tough training regime for this - presumably your preparation wasn't nearly as gruelling?
"My preparation was to massage women's legs, gruelling in its own way! You can get up at 5 o'clock in the morning if you want and sprint around the track, or you can dedicate yourself to getting down to the physio and healing some muscles with soothing hands. And that's the way I dedicated myself to it!"
How did they all deal with the training?
"They actually dealt with it quite well. There was probably a competitive instinct that they all had, where they didn't want to complain about the training and make too much of a fuss. If anything, I would say that the most whining came from myself and Noel [Clarke] just to make up for the lack of whining the girls were doing."
What do you think is the key to making a good sports movie?
"It's so tricky because [sport] is such good theatre in its own right. The stories told in sports are why you watch them, they create their own stories. It's always a tricky area to go into. I guess there's an element of truth you need to capture when you are covering a sport. I think from what the girls went through, they certainly captured those elements of truth that were required."
When you were growing up, were your heroes sporting stars or screen stars?
"I grew up very much in a sporting background. I always wanted to be an actor, but my escapism always came in sports. I was the black sheep with regards to my acting desires. I could relate to Fast Girls' subject matter straight away."
How did you feel about the London 2012 Olympics?
"I found the Olympics incredibly inspirational. I was lucky enough to go and see Mo Farah's 5,000 metre gold win, and the atmosphere in the stadium was something I don't think I've ever experienced at another sporting event. Certainly not at a football match, because in that stadium everyone was rooting for one man.
"That energy flowing through everybody was incredible. I really hope the Olympic legacy does something for the country in regards to sport. Fingers crossed there's an impact for years to come and not just 2012."
[click to read]Bradley James Q&A: 'I enjoyed massaging women's legs on Fast Girls'
Merlin star Bradley James hopped onto the big screen this summer to play physio Carl in Noel Clarke's Olympics-themed Fast Girls. While the likes of Lenora Crichlow and Lily James were in the midst of strict training regimes to prepare, James told Digital Spy that he had one thing on his mind: convincingly giving leg massages.
Also up for discussion were the ingredients needed to make a good sports movie, how he related to Fast Girls and James's experience watching Mo Farah bag an Olympic gold medal this summer.
What drew you to Fast Girls and made you want to be a part of it?
"I think it was the fact that I was able to massage women's legs, professionally speaking, and not have someone report me to the police for it! I was happy to take on that tough role."
The girls went through a tough training regime for this - presumably your preparation wasn't nearly as gruelling?
"My preparation was to massage women's legs, gruelling in its own way! You can get up at 5 o'clock in the morning if you want and sprint around the track, or you can dedicate yourself to getting down to the physio and healing some muscles with soothing hands. And that's the way I dedicated myself to it!"
How did they all deal with the training?
"They actually dealt with it quite well. There was probably a competitive instinct that they all had, where they didn't want to complain about the training and make too much of a fuss. If anything, I would say that the most whining came from myself and Noel [Clarke] just to make up for the lack of whining the girls were doing."
What do you think is the key to making a good sports movie?
"It's so tricky because [sport] is such good theatre in its own right. The stories told in sports are why you watch them, they create their own stories. It's always a tricky area to go into. I guess there's an element of truth you need to capture when you are covering a sport. I think from what the girls went through, they certainly captured those elements of truth that were required."
When you were growing up, were your heroes sporting stars or screen stars?
"I grew up very much in a sporting background. I always wanted to be an actor, but my escapism always came in sports. I was the black sheep with regards to my acting desires. I could relate to Fast Girls' subject matter straight away."
How did you feel about the London 2012 Olympics?
"I found the Olympics incredibly inspirational. I was lucky enough to go and see Mo Farah's 5,000 metre gold win, and the atmosphere in the stadium was something I don't think I've ever experienced at another sporting event. Certainly not at a football match, because in that stadium everyone was rooting for one man.
"That energy flowing through everybody was incredible. I really hope the Olympic legacy does something for the country in regards to sport. Fingers crossed there's an impact for years to come and not just 2012."