David Jason blames huge Hollywood star for 'ruining' his movie career aged 84
Only Fools and Horses star, David Jason, reckons a super famous Hollywood A-lister stopped him from finally cracking Tinseltown as he reflects on his acting career
David Jason has blamed one of Hollywood's biggest stars for his film career not working out.
The Only Fools and Horses legend, 84, is one of the most famous faces on British TV - but he's never cracked Hollywood. Looking back at his career, David recalls being up for roles in two 2023 films: The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry and The Great Escaper.
Jim Broadbent won the former while Sir Michael Caine bagged a part in the latter. Ironically, Jim had previously auditioned for the role of Del Boy, but ended up turning it down due to theatre commitments.
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In The Great Escaper, Michael played a Dunkirk war veteran, who breaks out of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary commemorations in France.
Writing in his new memoir, This Time Next Year, admitting he thought the plum role was his, David laments: "I thought it was going to be me escaping from the care home and going to look for my Dunkirk chums. It's the hope that kills you."
Speaking about his hopes for Hollywood, he continued: "I would love to be able to declare that my collected film work on DVD would make an elegant shelf of high-class cinematic experiences to browse among an evening. I fear, however, that it may look more like the contents of a box pulled out from under a table at a car boot sale."
The much-loved actor will forever be synonymous with plucky chancer, Del Boy Trotter, who was made famous in the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. Fans across the world fell in love with the market stall trader from Peckham, whose mantra was : "He who dares, wins."
However, David reckons he is "haunted" by the role as he opened up about dealing with Del for decades. During a candid chat on BBC Breakfast with host Jon Kay, the actor shared: "That Derek Trotter thing, he's a bit of a ghost that comes along behind me like A Christmas Carol." Jon probed: "That's interesting that you're calling Del Boy a bit of a ghost in your life. Do you feel you're a bit haunted by him?"
Expressing a slight frustration that despite his varied career, most people remember him only for his portrayal of the South Londoner, he said: "Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly is because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for. I'm delighted in one way that it's reached so many people and they've enjoyed what I've done with the character, but I've done so many other things that everybody seems to have forgotten about. It's like I've only ever played Derek Trotter."
The star lamented: "My real disappointment or regret, if you like, is I always wanted to be a National Theatre player. I always wanted to be on the stage of the National Theatre. It was just that romantic image of playing those big productions with all those big, wonderful actors. That never happened."
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