Young people in show business run the risk of reaching the pinnacle of their success too soon and then tumbling out of the spotlight before they are mature enough to handle it. Similarly, in the forthcoming Netflix film, I Used to be Famous, played by Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones, Deadpool), the main character, Vince, suffers the same fate. A new teaser shows Vince’s rise to prominence, fall from grace, and subsequent attempt to re-establish his stardom. As an adult, Vince is still trying to recover from his days as the lead singer of a massively popular boy band. According to the preview, the musician has been floundering ever since the band broke up, always striving to build a reputation for himself but never quite succeeding.
He doesn’t find his voice until he meets adolescent Stevie (Leo Long). Stevie, an autistic drummer with incredible skill, and Vince form an indie duet. On their path back to the stages that Vince once knew well, the two confront incessant criticism from critics during events and from detractors at every turn. This will be Eddie Sternberg, a British filmmaker, debut feature film. Sternberg, who had always been interested in the careers of former child actors, developed the idea for the feature film in the form of a short film with the same name. Naomi Ackie (The Score), who was making her Hollywood debut at the time, was a standout in the 2015 independent film that received widespread recognition.
Sternberg told Variety that his fascination with former members of major boy and girl bands inspired him to make the film. In particular, he wanted to share the dark side of becoming famous at a young age and then being “chewed up and spit out” and “forced to live with that emptiness.” It also stars Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead, Wonder Woman), Stanley Morgan (The Sandman), Eoin Macken, Lorraine Ashbourne, Neil Stuke, and Kurt Egyiawan, and they’ll all be in Zack Snyder’s next picture Rebel Moon. For the script, Sternberg joined up with Zak Klein (Contractor 014352). On September 9, the film will debut in select cinemas throughout the United Kingdom. The rest of us may see I Used to be Famous when it premieres on Netflix on September 16.