UNITED KINGDOM: James Corden joins Julie Walters for Europe premiere of feel-good triumph movie "One Chance"

Record ID: 221167

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: James Corden joins Julie Walters for Europe premiere of feel-good triumph movie "One Chance"
  • Date: 17th October 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 17, 2013) (REUTERS) FANS NEAR RED CARPET OUTSIDE ODEON LEICESTER SQUARE CINEMA CHILDREN STANDING BEHIND BARRIER IN FRONT OF POSTER FOR "ONE CHANCE" CROWD WAITING BY RED CARPET POSTER FOR "ONE CHANCE" ABOVE CINEMA ENTRANCE ACTOR, JAMES CORDEN, STANDING WITH WIFE, JULIA CAREY, WALKING TO POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS ACTOR, COLM MEANEY, POSI
  • Embargoed: 1st November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA5TPQINRTCZBRRZDIZOLH55WVV
  • Story Text: It's an age-old story of redemption and triumph against all odds and a modern day fairy tale which saw Welsh opera singer Paul Potts complete his rise from obscurity, debt and bullying when he attended the European premiere in London on Thursday (October 17) of a feature film about his life starring James Corden and Julie Walters.
    Charting Potts early years, from his childhood in Wales through to his job as a mobile phone salesman and his audition of "Nessun Dorma" for talent show "Britain's Got Talent", which wowed the whole country and racked up tens of millions of views online.
    The fame of his story straddled continents and he has since topped charts in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand with his debut opera crossover album, "One Chance", as well as appearing on shows including "The Opera Winfrey Show".
    Speaking at the premiere, director David Frankel said the appeal of the narrative of Potts' life was one everyone could emotionally connect with.

    "The story of Paul Potts is the story of a man who refuses to give up, even when he's discouraged profoundly in every possible way, and you know that's something that I'd like my children to believe, just to keep going with something you believe in," he said.

    "I think there's also this fantastic Cinderella aspect that says that someday, one day, your prince will come, and whether that's in the form of another person who loves you and gives you unconditional support or somebody that gives you an opportunity to reveal your talent, and this was both."
    The role of Potts himself is played by rising British star James Corden, acclaimed for his role in the West End and Broadway renditions of "One Man, Two Guvnors".
    The swift rise of Corden, who began his career as a comedian and television host, through the acting world is itself is in many respects a mirror of Potts' own rise to fame.
    Corden said the experience and situation was easily summed up in one word.

    "It's all surreal, isn't it?" he told Reuters TV, adding that it was still difficult, even for him, to get to terms with what has come to pass, making him perhaps the best person to play the role of Potts.

    "It's all very, very strange, but at the same time it's all I ever dreamt of, so you've just got to take it all with a bag of salt," he said.

    "That's the trick," Corden added.
    Potts himself said there was one particular aspect to the entire metaphorical journey documented in the film that really made him realise the scale of the reality facing him.

    "I remember actually saying on the show, on Britain's Got Talent, that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster - on a bus that was on a rollercoaster, and now there's posters on the sides of buses with the poster on it for the film," he said.

    "It's absolutely surreal. But I'm honoured and privileged that this has happened," he added.
    One of the main characters in the film is Potts' wife, Julie-Ann Potts, who encourages him to apply for the talent show and supports his dreams of becoming an opera singer.
    Played by Alexandra Roach in the film, the chemistry between her and Corden is a crucial aspect for a movie focussed so heavily on human relationships, an aspect of filming she said came very easily to both of them.

    "We had a wonderful time," she told Reuters TV.

    "I got flown out to New York for the first time to read with him in like a chemistry test where they sit us in a room and it's almost like being on a first date with loads of people watching you," she said.

    "We hit it off straight away and we had such a laugh doing it and David Frankel, the director, just let us ad lib and improvs and some of it's made the final cut, so it couldn't have been that bad," she added.
    Potts' mother, Yvonne, is the other crucial support throughout the story, and is played by Julie Walters in the biopic.
    Walters said that despite the British nature of the film, characters like Yvonne transcended the sorts of unique cultural idiosyncrasies that might otherwise limit the appeal of British films to a UK audience.

    "Everyone's got a mother, or is a mother, so they'll understand that - that's how people will relate to her," she said, adding that it was far from a difficult script to motivate herself into absorbing.

    "Most of the inspiration is from the script, and from knowing a bit about Paul. I mean I don't know anything about his mum, but I know about him and the script is a really good script, and there she was," she told Reuters TV.
    The presence of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein illustrates the scale of the appeal of the story and the success of Potts and Corden themselves, with the latter seen hugging Weinstein on the red carpet.
    Potts himself is currently penning his autobiography which he intends to be darker in nature than the film.

    "Once Chance" is released on October 25.
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