Beckham, the docuseries that chronicled the life and career of one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, quickly became one of the best shows to binge on Netflix upon its release in 2023. One of its most viral moments centered around an interaction between David Beckham and his wife Victoria, when he told the Spice Girl to “Be honest,” after she described her upbringing as “working class.” The interruption apparently didn’t sit so well with director Fisher Stevens, who broke down what exactly happened that day.
Even if you didn’t watch the Beckham documentary series when it premiered on the Netflix schedule, you might still be familiar with its most popular moment — where David Beckham crashes a scene to make his wife admit that her “working class” father drove a Rolls Royce. Fisher Stevens said in an interview with Variety that because Victoria Beckham had been so nervous, they’d intentionally chosen a day to film when David was out of the house. So nobody was expecting the footballer to poke his head in that door, Stevens said, recalling:
I’m going, ‘What the fuck is David doing here?’ She was very embarrassed and nervous, because clearly he’s been watching. And I was mortified myself. So you saw what we shot, you know, and she’s like, ‘Oh God.’
Victoria Beckham was asked to tackle some pretty heavy subject matter during her interviews — including details of her and David Beckham’s early relationship and rumors later in their marriage that he’d had an affair — so it’s easy to understand why she would have been nervous. When asked why he’d been eavesdropping on the conversation, David reportedly told the director he just wanted to make sure Victoria was being completely open with Stevens.
Despite the unwanted interruption and David Beckham being made to leave the premises before the interview resumed, his actions actually did make for a more authentic product. Michael Harte, editor of Beckham, said:
Ironically, I think it’s one of the most honest scenes in this series, because you get a true insight into their relationship and the way they interact. Like they forget the camera’s there.
It certainly did prove that they have a sense of humor — which they showed, as well, when they recreated the scene for a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year. Fisher Stevens said that Victoria Beckham was much more willing to be open with him following that interaction, so in the end, it all worked out for the best. However, that doesn’t mean the director was OK with it. Stevens said:
This interview changed everything. So it was kind of great that he was there, in a way — and it was a great moment for the movie, clearly — but it pissed me off.
It does seem like David Beckham listening in on his wife’s interview could have had the opposite effect that it did, and caused Victoria to clam up even more, so even knowing now that that would become a defining moment for the docuseries, it’s easy to see why Fisher Stevens was upset. Beckham is available to stream with a Netflix subscription, and be sure to check out some of the best movies on Netflix right now.
