This Is Stephen

Actor Stephen Graham discusses his favourite Scottish team, and the impact his passion for football has had on his career.

IN the last decade, actor Stephen Graham has played Al Capone in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Andrew ‘Combo’ Gascoigne in Shane Meadows’ This Is England, Scrum in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, and Baby-Face Nelson, alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, among other high-profile roles.

Last month, he also co-starred in one of fellow actor Martin Compston’s Instagram stories, live from Celtic Park, as the pair celebrated the Hoops’ 5-0 dismantling of Hearts in the SPFL.

This was the A-lister’s third time at Paradise, having visited once before as a fan in the early 2000s, and as a player on the pitch in Stiliyan Petrov’s emotionally-charged charity match in September 2013.

Speaking exclusively to the Celtic View for our Christmas issue, Stephen Graham explained: “I can’t even remember who the Bhoys were playing that first time, but I went along with Jake Abraham and had a top night.

“I remember the crowd were singing ‘Bobo’s gonna get ya!’, about Bobo Balde. Martin planned the Hearts game in November this year a few months ago, as we’re both doing Line of Duty at the moment.

“Playing at Celtic Park was a real buzz, and one of the best moments of my life. I was tying my laces, I had a pair of Adidas World Cups on, and my bottle had gone. I was once a decent player, but going on that turf was a different story. I was tying my laces, I looked to my right, and spotted the exact same boots as me. I thought to myself, alright, nice one.