Joseph Fiennes is preparing to play England football manager Gareth Southgate in a new play, Dear England, at the National Theatre. The actor, who supports Chelsea, describes himself as a 'B' grade football fan – not an obsessive, but a genuine follower. He has yet to meet Southgate, relying on YouTube footage for his research, though he once interviewed the manager himself for half an hour.
The play, written by James Graham, explores national identity and how Southgate reformed the laddish culture of the England team. 'He's reformed, reclaimed, built a new England,' says Fiennes. 'Post-Brexit, post-pandemic, the England of today is not the England he grew up in.' The production also addresses issues such as racist abuse faced by players after the Euro 2020 final.
Fiennes notes that the play is not a straightforward biography but a study of transformation, with humour and caricature. 'It's slightly caricature, so I don't feel the weight of carrying this portrayal,' he explains. Graham first conceived the idea after England's penalty shootout win against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup, seeing it as a story of radical institutional change.
When asked what struck him most about Southgate, Fiennes says 'control' – a quality that contrasts with the chaos of the Weinstein scandal, which the actor has previously spoken about. The play has undergone 'massive rewrites' and Fiennes admits he would prefer another month of rehearsals before opening.
