OWEN Coyle tells some amusing stories about the time he lined up alongside Oscar winner Robert Duvall and former Batman star Michael Keaton in the film, A Shot at Glory.
To be honest, they’re not printable in a family newspaper, but inevitably when you get a bunch of footballers on a film set to “act” it’s safe to say high jinx are going to ensue.
To fill you in, the plot revolves around a star striker, in this case Ally McCoist, coming to a small town team to give them...a shot at glory. Clever eh?
I’ve made a point of watching it, and while it’s no coincidence that McCoist hasn’t been offered any major Hollywood roles since, it looked like fun to make. You could also argue he’s starring in a soap opera right now at Ibrox, but that’s another story.
What you might not have known is that he’s not the only Bolton Wanderers player to have appeared on the big screen.
For starters, A Shot at Glory also features a cameo from Ally Maxwell, who played three games on loan in the early nineties. Another loan goalkeeper, Steve Banks, appeared in an even bigger British movie – Green Street – which also featured Elijah “Frodo” Wood.
Former record signing Nicolas Anelka has also cut his acting teeth, playing a footballer called, erm, Nicolas, in the 2002 French film, Le Boulet.
But the best and most obscure Wanderers film reference comes from the 2001 Silence of the Lambs sequel Hannibal. Apparently, and I can’t wait to rush home and raid my DVD collection to see if this is true, but in a scene set in an Italian police station you can see Julian Joachim playing for Aston Villa in the 2000 FA Cup semi final against Wanderers on TV in the background.
There are unconfirmed reports of Allan Johnston’s shirt sleeve also making an appearance.
Before you ask, yes, I do have a lot of spare time on my hands on tour, and, yes, I would like to know if I’ve missed anybody out.
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