The entertainment industry may be a tough place for kids and teenagers since it’s easy to reach stardom too fast and then find yourself on the outs before you’re ready. And in the new Netflix film, I Used to be Famous, that’s exactly what happens to Ed Skrein’s (Game of Thrones, Deadpool) character, Vince. In a new teaser, we see Vince’s rise to prominence and subsequent fall from grace, before he attempts to reclaim his former glory and remake his career. Vince, now an adult, is still trying to recover from his days as the lead singer of a massively popular boy band.
In the preview, we see that the musician has been suffering ever since the band broke up, always striving to build a name for himself but never quite succeeding. Once he meets the youngster Stevie (Leo Long), he finally finds his voice. Stevie, an autistic drummer with incredible skill, and Vince form an indie duet. As they try to get back to the stages that Vince previously knew well, the pair is constantly criticised during gigs and by detractors at every turn. This will be Eddie Sternberg, a British filmmaker, debut feature film. Sternberg, who was interested in how former child stars fared in adulthood, developed the idea for the film originally as a short with the same name.
Naomi Ackie (The Score) made her big screen debut in the critically praised independent film of 2015. Sternberg explained his infatuation with former members of huge boy and girl bands in an interview with Variety, which ultimately led to the creation of the film. He wanted to share the negative side of becoming famous at a young age, namely how it felt to be “chewed up and spat out” and left to “live with that emptiness.” Starring Zack Snyder and a cast that includes Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead, Wonder Woman), Stanley Morgan (The Sandman), Eoin Macken, Lorraine Ashbourne, Neil Stuke, and Kurt Egyiawan, Rebel Moon also has the upcoming appearances of Long and Skrein. Sternberg collaborated with Zak Klein (Contractor 014352) to write the script. If you live in the United Kingdom, you may see the film on September 9 at several cinemas. I Used to be Famous and will be available on Netflix on September 16 for the rest of us.