The movie role Liam Gallagher wishes he could play
The question of what iconic role you would want to play in a Hollywood movie is a classic question brought up in awkward social occasions filled with small talk fluff. Still, let’s not ignore the fact that we all want to know the answer when Liam Gallagher, one-half of the Mancunian rock band Oasis, comes calling with his famed swagger.
Leading the Britpop movement of the 1990s, Oasis was incredibly influential in the formation of contemporary rock music, inspired by the work of the Beatles throughout the late 20th century. Notoriously, however, this joy was not long-lived, with the band breaking up in August 2009, fuelled by a bitter feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
Following his departure, Liam formed Beady Eye, which momentarily thrived before disbanding in 2014. More recently, he has found better success with a solo career, releasing his debut album As You Were in 2017, which was met with critical and commercial success, topping the UK Albums Chart before being certified platinum one year later with over 300,000 units sold in the UK.
In contemporary Britain, he is considered something of a cultural icon, making regular media appearances where he is confident in sharing his outspoken opinion.
During a 2017 AMA on Reddit, Gallagher faced a barrage of questions from fans across the world, giving a range of eclectic answers. One movie-related question popped up, however, with a fan asking Gallagher, “If you could replace any actor in a film or TV series, who would you pick and in what?” to which the ex-Oasis frontman responded with Jimmy from the 1979 classic Quadrophenia.
A well-known great of British cinema, Quadrophenia was helmed by Franc Roddam and told the story of a young man who despises his small-town job and life with his parents, so seeks kinship with a clique of Mods who ride scooters, fight and do drugs. Jimmy Cooper is the protagonist of the story, played by Phil Daniels, whilst supporting characters Steph, Chalky, Ace Face, and Kevin also join the fray.
There’s no doubt that we could certainly see Gallagher in the lead role, playing a disgruntled rebel who has no particular passion for anything rather than pondering his life away.
Speaking about the movie, which takes its name from The Who’s album of the same name, Roddam states: “It is a working-class British film. If you’re in the north and you go to Manchester or Liverpool, they have a strong working-class ethic. What I mean by that is they see themselves as a tribal group, they see social injustice, and there’s certain things they will accept and will not accept. It’s all about experience. People like to see their own experience being dramatised on the screen. Quadrophenia was not unlike the experience of Liam and Noel Gallagher when they were growing up”.
