United - David Tennant Interview

What attracted you to United?
I've worked with James Strong (director) and Chris Chibnall (writer) several times before and James sent me the script. I knew it would be worth reading because it came from him. I'm not a football expert but I was completely bowled over by the incredible story and journey that Manchester United went on. I thought that if it had grabbed and moved me as much as that, then clearly the story must be universal, worth telling and something I wanted to be part of.

What is United about?
The film is about all sorts of things because what happened is so extraordinary. On a very basic level it's a true story but it also looks at the arbitrary nature of fate, the capriciousness of life and the triumph of the human spirit. The film deals with how we pull ourselves together after tragedy, because people cope with grief in so many different ways. We're telling an utterly compelling and dramatic story as it happened. As I started to research this, I realised there's a fair amount of quibbling over detail but the basic facts of the story are indisputable.

How did you prepare for the role of Jimmy Murphy?
I'd never heard of Jimmy Murphy, which is shocking considering what he did. That's part of what I like about the fact we're telling this story. Matt Busby said that Jimmy was the most important signing he ever made at Manchester United but I didn't realise what Jimmy did after the crash. When you're playing a real person there's a balance between playing the person in the script and playing the person as he was in life. You have to be respectful and true to who that person was, but at the same time tell the story in the film. I tried to find out who Jimmy was and about the facts of his life but inevitably I can only filter that through who I am. Physically I'm not particularly like Jimmy; I'm a bit taller and slightly younger than he was at that time. Quite early on I had to accept what couldn't be changed and then move towards what could be achieved.

What was it like meeting Jimmy's family?
Jimmy's family were incredibly welcoming and helpful. From meeting them, I got a sense of this very driven, warm and humble man who was terribly dignified in the way he conducted himself. He was clearly a brilliant teacher and football was a life vocation for him. I think the two loves in his life were Manchester United and his family and he was hugely passionate and invested in them both. His family spoke with great warmth towards him and took huge pride in talking about what Jimmy did and achieved.

How do you think Manchester United changed after the tragedy?
It's difficult to know because I wasn't around so all I can go on is written accounts of the time. I get the sense that what happened in Munich in 1958, how the team coped with it and how they came back from the brink, was possibly the beginning of Manchester United as the kind of world football team they are today. The way they conducted themselves and struggled back with such dignity and fight, has inspired an international love for the team and that is due in no small part to what Jimmy did.

Was it useful watching Tottenham Hotspur in training and meeting Harry Redknapp?
The way football is run now is completely different to how it was in 1958; they train very differently and the structure is different. I had to be careful not to take too much from the modern experience and assume it was like that back then. But the principles are still the same; getting out on the pitch and training, practising and working hard, and having a level of commitment are things which will always be true.

It was fantastic to see behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur but the resources they can employ are far beyond what Manchester United had back then. Manchester United weren't a particularly wealthy club, which seems absurd as they're a multi-million pound international business these days. Harry Redknapp saw the final game that the "Busby Babes" played in the UK. It was their penultimate game ever which was against Arsenal. It was interesting to talk to him and feel that link through history. He talked about being utterly inspired by this extraordinary young team that was unlike anything that had been seen before.

What was it like working with Dougray Scott?
Dougray got to do his own accent, so he had the advantage there! When he first turned up he did this voice which was exactly Matt Busby, it just came growling out of him. When you hear some of the footage from Matt Busby, you can tell he had a very distinctive and extraordinary timbre and Dougray got it down to a tee. I think he's a fantastic choice for the role and he's a huge football aficionado; he knows everything so was a great resource for any football trivia that needed clearing up.

Full Interview: BBC Press