David Beckham to launch second career in acting

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

David Beckham will swap the football pitch for the big screen as he plans to launch a second career in acting.

The former England captain, who has recently scored himself a speaking role in a Guy Ritchie production of King Arthur, has said that he “would love” to do more acting in the future and wants to “build up” his experience and “see where it takes [him]”.

He is, however, ready for criticism over the career move and admits that he still feels “regret” at no longer playing professional football.

“I am very aware that many sportsmen and other celebrities have turned their hand to acting – and failed,” he told The Times. “I know it is a tough profession, where you need a huge amount of skill and discipline. I wouldn’t want to push myself forward too soon, without learning more about it, and doing a lot more practice.”

“But what I have done so far, I have loved. I can deal with most things. I am a well-known person, so I have got used to criticism.“

After announcing his retirement from football in May 2013, playing his last professional game for Paris-Saint-Germain after over 20 years in the profession, the 40-year-old has said, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss football”.

“I still get these huge pangs of regret that I am not out there anymore.”

“I still think that, if I put my mind to it, I would be able to go out there and perform again. I guess that I will still think that when I am 50.”

Despite his regrets, Beckham’s acting career is already burgeoning. He has made cameo appearances in Only Fools and Horses and Gavin and Stacy sketches for Sport Relief and starred alongside Harvey Keitel in the short film Outlaws.

His latest role in Ritchie’s upcoming medieval epic, Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, will see Beckham play a "Blackleg leader" opposite names such as Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law.

“I had 13 lines and practised a huge amount beforehand, " he said, "Guy had someone come and rehearse with me, and I did that an hour every day in the build-up.”

“It was nerve-racking delivering the lines, but it actually went really well. The thing about sport is that it gets the heart beating faster. You focus the mind in order to deliver. Acting has a similar feel.”