ArrDee picks his six favourite movies of all time
Brighton native ArrDee has been quietly cultivating a mass following as one of the UK’s burgeoning rap stars in recent years. Appearances on Daily Duppy hinted at an icon in the making and his appearance on Tion Wayne and Russ Million’s summer smash ‘Body’ only went one step further to confirm the rapper as one of the hottest prospects to break into the mainstream permanently. But, it would seem that being “king” of his city isn’t quite enough.
While his day job may well be to spit bars, it hasn’t stopped ArrDee, real name Riley Davis, from finding new forms of expression, including taking on a role in the upcoming sixth instalment of the Rise of the Footsoldier, which arrives September 15th as another bloody and brutal vision of Britain’s criminal underworld.
For ArrDee, born this side of the millennium, the movies have been ever-present in his adult, or not-so-adult, life. “I’ve been a massive fan of the franchise for God knows how long,” he tells me, rekindling a shared misspent youth watching gangster movies and imbibing mischief by the bucketload. “We all used to go around my friend’s house after school when we were younger and do what teenagers do and whatnot.”
ArrDee’s introduction to the series, which has delivered a uniquely British take on the vengeful gangster movie since 2007, was like most of Britain’s: through an uncle with no name or blame. “His uncle had the like the box setup and had it on DVD, and we used to go sit in his living room watching them on DVDs and stuff when we were probably too young to even be watching them. Slyly.”
For most Britons of ArrDee’s age, the chance to appear in one of the movies is an opportunity not to be missed, and while acting has always been on the rapper’s radar, “it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Ever since I was little, it’s not just music I’ve wanted to do — I’ve just always wanted to be an entertainer, even before I knew that music was my first calling,” the chance to be a part of the growing franchise was almost lost to his bulging inbox.
“I clocked it,” he confirms of the message that would open the door for his new role. “I saw the messages. I’m sure we would have got in touch anyways, if I didn’t see them, but I just happened to be scrolling through my DM requests and noticed Nick Nevern’s (director), Jason [Maza]’s (writer) names quite close together.”
“I knew of both of them in terms of the industry,” and with that, ArrDee seized his chance and opened up the message. While he may have been expecting a quick chat, perhaps a shot at a role or just a rendition of ‘body’ from the director, it was, in fact, “the cherry on the cake” and a chance to be a part of the Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance project.
ArrDee will take on the role of bartender Stevey, who crosses paths with Pat Tate, played by Craig Farbass, a man on a mission to avenge the lost lives of his trusted footsoldier. Working with Fairbass and a cast that includes Jamie Forman, George Russo, Sadie Frost, and Stephen McCole, the fledgling actor is sure to learn a lot: “I’ve been making music for so long it’s been a long time since I’ve felt myself be at like a square one,” he mused. “It was quite exciting to get that feeling back and be doing something new. With all these amazing co-stars and directors, and it was a whole different experience.”
The rapper has been involved in many shoots, but that’s a different story, “You’ve got models, and it’s a bit of a party,” compared to what this new direction will entail. “You’re shooting scenes for the movie. You’ve got Nick’s vision and Jason’s vision for a certain scene and different people’s visions. And this is a lot more, ‘Right, we’re getting straight to it.’ Everybody’s got to be on the ball, and there’s no fucking about.”
With a new future perhaps on the horizon, we asked the young actor to pick out his favourite movies of all time, and he pulled the rug on us fairly quickly. “I’m giving myself a bit of a cheat code and throwing in the Guy Ritchie trilogy of Rock ‘N’ Rolla, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch in there,” ArrDee rattles out with the keen practice of a young man who has rewatched the movies countless times.
He picks out the director’s unique style as the main reason for selection, “Everybody just keeps missing each other, with all these fine details intertwined, as the viewer it keeps you on the edge of your seat.” Seeing his chance to add a quiet cheat code to his existing cheat code, the performer also picks out another Ritchie title, The Gentleman, as a considered favourite.
His next two picks follow a similar vein, with Tom Hardy’s menacing dual performance as the Kray twins in Legend finding a spot on ArrDee’s list. “Tom Hardy in that film, I think he smashed the playing of the Kray twins, and it’s a film that seen 100 times. I could probably recite you it line by line.” The final spot is a fitting one. Rise of the Footsolider, the first edition of the franchise, is given the final spot on the list with another centurion viewing from the rapper.
You can find the full list of ArrDee’s favourite movies below, and see Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance in cinemas from September 15th.
ArrDee’s six favourite movies:
- Rock ‘N’ Rolla
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
- Snatch
- The Gentleman
- Legend
- Rise of the Footsoldier
