Soccer star-turned-actor VINNie JONES is nervous about his first lead role in a major movie. The Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998) hardman has just completed filming MEAN MACHINE (2001), a remake of the BURT REYNOLDS classic caper.

And it proved to be a testing project, with Vinny being required to recite five pages of dialogue in front of ten actors in one scene. He recalls, "It was very daunting but I nailed it. I was an apprentice before but I feel like a real actor now.

In one particular scene I was telling the others in jail my character's history and I could see their faces while I was doing it and they were believing me. It was quite awesome. " (RXT/II/KW)

Source: WENN