David Beckham discussed the importance of mental health in his new documentary ‘Beckham‘ on Netflix. The four-part series delves into the life of the football star including a look into his battle with depression, tenure in Real Madrid, and his marriage to Victoria Beckham.
Beckham feels that the docuseries made him realize that it’s better to forgive himself. Even though he’s not still over the pain he went through, it did help him to move over his past and all the subsequent guilt.
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David Beckham Talks About Battling Depression
David Beckham’s 2023 documentary ‘Beckham‘ was supposed to be a story of a soccer player but it changed for him. Beckham revealed in a column published in The Hollywood Reporter, “I wouldn’t say that making this documentary gave me closure because I still feel pain from those moments. But it did allow me to forgive myself and let go of some of that guilt.”
He continued, “After the premiere, my mum pulled me aside and reassured me, ‘You don’t need to feel bad anymore.’ Those words make me feel emotional to this day.”
The documentary is a story of his struggles. People had been asking Beckham to talk about his demons since 2013, the year he retired. After a decade passed, he realized that he was ready to “create something for my family to look back on that brought everything we experienced together in one place.”
He connected with director Fisher Stevens, who had a very “raw approach” that sometimes made him “uncomfortable,” so it wasn’t easy.
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David Beckham Reflects On How Far The World Has Come In Terms Of Mental Health
Beckham noted that he wasn’t fully in to talk about his mental health and he used to find ways to get out of the conversation, which would make the process a bit difficult for him. He wrote, “I must admit I wasn’t fully prepared for the depth of commitment and emotional energy this process would require. It was challenging and at times, hard.”
He continued, “I spent over 50 hours with Fisher, and every time I saw a session with him in my diary, I would try and come up with ways to get out of it! After each interview I found myself needing time alone to decompress. Reflecting on both the highs and lows of my life and career was — at times — mentally and emotionally draining.”
The inspiration for the documentary was the aftermath of the 1998 World Cup when England played with Argentina. The team ended up losing because Beckham got a red card for kicking his rival, for which he received heavy backlash. Reflecting on that incident, Beckham added, “This was the first time I had truly confronted some pretty monumental moments in my life, and it was therapeutic“. The analysis was needed for such events but he’s “extremely proud” of the result.
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