Chelsea star Ashley Cole is making the foray into acting, and will star alongside Danny Dyer in a forthcoming football-based documentary drama called 'Played'. Cole will play a version of himself, as will England star Joe Cole and West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, while Dyer will play a conniving football agent, according to the UK's Sun newspaper.
Ashley - the ex-husband of pop star Cheryl Cole - is also financially backing the project and has already auditioned a number of Hollyoaks actresses to play the roles of wannabe WAGs. A source said, "The plot follows a football agent and how he goes about his business while living the Premier League lifestyle.It features a few dodgy scenarios including underhand transfers and sleeping around with different women.They want it to be as authentic as possible, so that's why they were keen to include player and manager cameos". The script is already complete and filming is set to get underway in London, with some scenes taking place at Premier League football stadiums. Cole first became involved with film production in 2008 when he backed the British gangster movie Dead Man Running, also starring Dyer, 34, as well as the American rapper 50 Cent. While most critics panned the movie, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw conceded, "It'll shift serious Dvd units, and is not as bad as it could have been".
Cole becomes the latest footballer to make the move into the acting world. Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona has enjoyed success in French cinema and recently starred in Ken Loach's Looking for Eric, while Vinny Jones is perhaps still best known for his turn in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.