I Used To Be Famous Trailer: When The Love Of Music And The Business Of It All Collide
In the new trailer for "I Used to Be Famous," director Eddie Sternberg takes a look at the music industry and the line between the love of musical creation and the business that often sours it. The film is based on Sternberg's short film of the same name, according to Variety. It's the story of Vince (Ed Skrein), a former member of a popular British boy band. After finding himself at loose ends with his failing solo career, he practices on the street one day and meets Stevie (Leo Long), a young drummer with autism. The connection they form gives them a greater understanding of why they picked up an instrument in the first place.
This is the feature debut for Sternberg, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Klein. It's also the feature debut for musician Leo Long, a multi-instrumentalist who plays with the London Youth Folk Ensemble. The site points out that the filmmakers worked with the National Autistic Society and Access All Areas, which works with disabled and autistic artists in theater and performance.
Watch the I Used to Be Famous trailer
In the trailer, Vince is having no success in his solo career, after years of being famous. He makes this connection with Stevie, and recruits him to start performing. While it appears to remind Vince why he got into the profession in the first place, it's also causing problems with Stevie and his mother Amber (Eleanor Matsuura). From what we can see, it seems that it's less about any issue of Stevie's in terms of playing in front of a crowd, and more about Amber and Vince trying to protect him from the world, and the people who refuse to understand someone who isn't neurotypical.
It's lovely to know that the filmmakers consulted experts on autism and neurodiversity for the project, and that a neurodiverse musician was hired for the role of Stevie. Variety says that Access All Areas member Tricia Hitchcock was Long's creative coach for the film. She also worked with Matsuura and Skrein. This trailer got me in the heart as a former musician, and I'm dying to watch something that feels like it's going to be uplifting.
"I Used to Be Famous" will premiere in UK theaters on September 9, 2022, and on Netflix on September 16, 2022. The film is listed as "coming soon to the United States." We'll keep you updated as information becomes available.