The news that I am meeting Danny Dyer is met with a mixed response. Some
people see him as a loveable Cockney rogue, a diamond geezer you would be
happy to have a pint with down the old rub-a-dub-dub; others see him as a
swaggering lout, a chain-smoking, lager-swilling representative of
everything that is wrong with the lad-mag generation. It seems you either
love Danny Dyer or you hate him, and his latest series isn’t going to change
your mind either way.
In Deadliest Men 2: Living Dangerously, Dyer is getting inside not just
the heads but the houses of Britain’s hardest men, from Gypsy bare-knuckled
boxers in Salford to cage-fighting twins in Blackpool and Yardie gangsters
in South London, to find out what makes these highly dangerous men tick.
“I’m living their life for three days, I’m eating when they eat, I’m going
round to their house, I meet their wives and their children and I sleep over
with them. It’s not all about crime and villainy, it’s about people who live
dangerous lives through choice. Why do they do that when they can have an
easy life? Why do they choose to live dangerously, whether that’s a cage
fighter or a bouncer?”
Dyer’s background means that he is welcomed into these very scary men’s homes
with open arms. A born and bred East Ender, the 31-year-old is known for
playing lowlife characters on screen. Since his big break in the 1999 rave
drama Human Traffic, he has made a name for himself playing, well,
Danny Dyer, either as a Cockney hooligan in The Football Factory, a
Cockney gangster in The Business or a Cockney prisoner in Mean
Machine.
But it seems that Dyer is getting tired of playing Cockney geezers and is
looking for a change of direction. “I’ve got this tough guy, hard-man image
and I’m not. I’m quite a sensitive soul, to be honest. I need to get that
across; I’m getting pretty f***ed off with this hard-guy bollocks.”
Dyer has four films coming out this year that will help, including Dead Man
Running, alongside 50 Cent, and Malice in Wonderland, in which he
plays the White Rabbit in human form, a role that Dyer believes will allow
audiences to see a different side to him. “I turn down a lot of stuff
because it starts to get very samey. I wanna be tested . . . it’s time for
me to do something really leftfield. It’s just getting the opportunity to do
it. I never take it for granted, but maybe the one thing that gets me roles
is also the one thing that holds me back.”
So it doesn’t look like a move to Albert Square is likely, despite the fact he
is constantly being linked with EastEnders. But if Dyer could play any role,
what would it be? “I’d like to play James Bond, obviously, and Doctor Who; I
think I could put a bit of a mad spin on it. I’d also like to play a cowboy
at some point. I’m a real western nut.” The Good, the Bad and the Cockney?
Remember where you read it first.
DANNY'S FAVOURITE LONDON HAUNTS
Upton Park I spend loads of time there, I love the buzz of it, I love
the idea of a team coming from up north to play my local side. I’m pally
with Ray Winstone, he lets me sit in his box every now and again.
Robins Pie & Mash Shop It’s an old place in Bethnal Green, it ain’t
changed for 70 years and it serves up a lovely pie and mash, lovely drop of
liquor.
Maze I took my missus to this Gordon Ramsay restaurant for our
anniversary and we had a lovely meal there. I don’t like to go to the West
End much. I like to stay in my area, East London, more than anything.
There’s no point in moaning about coming out of a club with 15
photographers; you don’t have to go there.
Snooker halls I like to go to a snooker hall in Upton Park. I like to
unwind and relax there. I take my brother or a few of my pals and we just
have a right session on the old snooker table. I’m quite a man’s man, quite
a simple man, you know, I’m not into no ponciness.
Greenwich Park I love taking my kids there, with my dog, and just
running around or lying on the grass. I just think it’s a beautiful park.
FAVOURITE GANGSTER FILMS
Goodfellas What a beautiful film. Great performances.
The Godfather I and II The Godfather obviously, ’cos of Marlon
Brando, one of my idols, and The Godfather Part II because Robert De
Niro, another one of my idols, was playing a Marlon Brando role. Don
Corleone, what a character:played by a young De Niro and Brando. It doesn’t
get much better than that. No 3 was a pile of s*** though.
Sexy Beast I love Raymundo (Ray Winstone), with his big Derby Kelly
hanging out. I love the idea of Ray playing a different role; he’s got to be
all submissive. It’s rarely you see Ray like that.
Long Good Friday ’Cos of Bob Hoskins. It’s just a lovely film and it
was all about the Docklands, which is the area where I was brought up. A
very London film.
FAVOURITE WEST HAM PLAYERS
Julian Dicks He just represented everything that London was about. He
was a strong player, took no s*** off no one, but he had skill and he was
quick. I remember when Vinnie Jones came to town and he made him look like a
little boy.
Frank McAvennie A complete legend, great goalscorer. Great womaniser as
well, always had a great look.
Tony Cottee Another great legend who I’ve met since and I love him, a
true gentleman.
Paolo Di Canio He brought sexiness and flair to the club and I like the
idea that he was a bit of a liability as well.
Trevor Brooking The great, old-school ambassador.
SCARIEST PLACES YOU’VE VISITED
Turkey Petrifying, especially for the hooligans’ hatred for the English
hooligans. A very intimidating place and I felt right out of my depth.
Rio de Janeiro There’s a beautiful beach there, but then you walk two
streets inland and you’re f***ed.
Belgrade Serbia’s still a war-torn country. There’ll be a McDonald’s
and next to it there’ll be a building with a great big hole where a missile
hit.
Poland When I went to the Cracow derby, which is Cracovia against Wisa,
there were a lot of Nazis. It’s weird because Poland was the first country
that was invaded and yet now you’ve got these young Polish boys doing the
Nazi salute.
Russia Because it was so f***ing cold. Try running around with
hooligans in minus 20C. You’ve got enough on your plate let alone the fact
that you can’t feel your feet.
Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men 2: Living Dangerously is on Bravo on Monday
nights at 10pm
