The year 2023 was interesting for motorsport fans as they were taken aback by the movie “Gran Turismo” which features Geri Halliwell. In the past year, Geri Halliwell-Horner experienced a whirlwind of activity. The former Spice Girls singer premiered both her first young adult book, “Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen,” and her cinematic debut with the sports action movie which hit theatres in the US on August 25.
Attendees who were looking forward to the computer game biography were shocked to learn that legendary Ginger Spice Geri Horner had a major role in the film. The movie tells the real-life tale of Jann Mardenborough, a gaming fanatic who went from playing virtual racing games to becoming a well-known professional race car driver.
Exciting cast of Gran Turismo (2023)
Netflix debuted the live-action Gran Turismo adaption of Jann Mardenborough’s real-life experience on December 15, 2023. Instead of portraying a straight video game story, the film, which was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and directed by Neill Blomkamp, explores the touching tale of a simulation player who dreams of becoming a professional racer.
Gran Turismo starring David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet & Geri Halliwell Horner “Impossible Dream” featurette.#granturismomovie #granturismo #orlandobloom pic.twitter.com/PnsJ1cBS8d
— cinemabang.com (@CinemabangCom) May 28, 2023
The star-studded cast includes Orlando Bloom as Danny Moore, Djimon Hounsou as Steve Mardenborough, David Harbour as Jack Slater, Takehiro Hira as Kazunori Yamauchi, Darren Barnett as Matty Davis, and Geri Halliwell-Horner as Lesley Mardenborough.
Archie Madekwe, who was born in South London on February 10, 1995, was the protagonist of the movie who played Jann Mardenborough. For people who were familiar with Archie in Voyagers, Teen Spirit, and Midsommar before the role he played of Ivo in Heart of Stone on Netflix and Farleigh Start in Saltburn expands on his broad palette of acting credits.
Real Jann Mardenborough reacted to his onscreen mother
As compared to Formula 1 drivers who begin their journey at tender ages with karting, Mardenborough luckily or unluckily skipped that phase. Although he started as a gamer rather than a professional, the 32-year-old driver had quite the journey. From reluctantly failing a driving test to hitting speeds of 185 mph on Silverstone’s Grand Prix track, his story was made into Hollywood for the movie “Gran Turismo.”
The driver recently shared his thoughts on Halliwell-Horner portraying the role of his mother on screen. Despite her popular pop hits and charismatic stage presence, Geri’s career as an actor has brought out a previously unexplored depth of talent.
Geri Halliwell is finally heading back to our screens in the new film Gran Turismo. Not always one for the big screen, she explained to us at the Cannes Film Festival why she took the part. pic.twitter.com/8run70Ta74
— Metro (@MetroUK) May 27, 2023
While talking to the press, Jann shared that his mother, Lesley did in fact watch the movie and said, “She loved it. They exchanged phone numbers and chatted frequently. Geri was keen to know my reactions and how I’d act in those situations. Everyone knows Geri Halliwell, the pop sensation. But her as my mum? It’s as crazy as it sounds! It’s wild, surreal, but in the best possible way.”
Mardenborough further added, “She did it perfectly. She nailed it.” The life of Jann Mardenborough is a homage to desires fueled by passion and unapologetic devotion in a world where the lines between the actual and cyberspace are progressively eroding.