But by the time the cast and crew went to Germany for a key competition
in the film, "we literally had become a really solid team,"
says Nagra, a native of England, where soccer is called football.
"We got so into it once that (director) Gurinder (Chadha)
stormed across the pitch, shouting, 'Cut! Cut! Have you forgotten
this is a movie?' "
The comedy-drama Bend It Like Beckham has convinced audiences
and the movie industry that 27-year-old Nagra is the real thing.
American movie audiences can see Nagra in August in Ella Enchanted,
a modern-day Cinderella story, with Anne Hathaway and Cary Elwes.
And Nagra was in Los Angeles recently meeting about other roles.
The rousing British film has made $50 million worldwide, $20
million of that in Great Britain. Now on 117 screens in the USA,
it has made $2.6 million in four weeks, with a whopping $10,001
per screen average. It goes into more theaters April 18.
Bend It Like Beckham refers to British soccer star David Beckham's
trademark ability to kick a ball and have it curve in an arc around
the goalie. The title also metaphorically represents the challenges
women face in male-dominated areas such as sports, often forced
to bend the rules to achieve their goals.
"It stuns me how the film is doing and how people respond
to it," Nagra says. "In London there was an article
about all these girls bending it like Beckham, and in India there's
this big wave of girls playing football. Wow! I can't believe
a movie's done this!"
To prep for the role, Nagra practiced with England's only professional
girls soccer team, the Fulham Girls.
"Simon Clifford, the choreographer/trainer, said, 'Some
(professional) footballers can't even do some of the moves you've
been doing,' " Nagra says.
She and co-star Keira Knightley endured months of arduous training
to get them in soccer shape.
"We went home aching," she says. "There were points
where she and I would look at each other and ask, 'Why are we
doing this exactly?' "
But despite aches and bruises, Nagra was not to be daunted about
performing the soccer moves herself.
At one point, "I had to knee the ball up and hit the goal.
I told (the filmmakers), 'I will get it. You must allow me to
get it.' They said, 'You've done it five or six times.' Eventually
I did get it, and the relief almost made me want to cry. Then
I woke up the next morning with these huge black bruises on my
legs. But it was proving to myself that I could do it."
Raised outside London by Punjabi parents who had emigrated from
India in the 1960s, Nagra began acting at 17, mostly in theater
and television productions. Unlike the deeply traditional parents
in the movie who are against their daughter pursuing an unusual
path, Nagra's family was supportive.
"I told my mom I was off to London, and she never said,
'Are you crazy? You have no qualifications.' She couldn't really
understand what I was doing, but she just said, 'Fine. I hope
it works out,' " Nagra says.
At times, Nagra doubted her own choice.
"I was so headstrong," she says. "At times, I
couldn't understand what I was doing. I just knew I needed to
stick with it. It was instinct, and that's what I've always relied
upon."
Her instincts have proved reliable so far.
"I meet people who have seen (Beckham) 15 times. The character
I played is almost becoming like a bit of a cult figure. People
tell me, 'I want to be like Jess.' Knowing you're part of that
is really exciting. If I can inspire someone to go in a positive
way and pursue a dream, it can only be good."
Despite her background in theater and TV, the subtlety of movie
acting is her passion.
"I can pretty much tell the whole story through my eyes.
Some of the best actors that you watch don't have to physically
do too much."
Did Beckham make a soccer player of her?
"God, no," she says with a laugh. "That's what
I like about acting. When you're preparing for a role, you do
your research, and the bonus is you get to learn these skills.
Now, it's on to whatever the next thing is I have to learn."
