Soccer-Star-Turned-Actor Says Cristiano Ronaldo Will Have a ‘Great’ Career in Hollywood ‘If He Does 1 Thing Right’
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the all-time soccer greats and still competes at the highest level. But after confirming that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his last, some are wondering what Ronaldo will do when Father Time takes him out of the sport.
Recently, there’s been chatter that the Al-Nassr striker and captain of the Portugal national football team may head to Tinseltown when he hangs up his cleats.
Someone who knows a thing or two about the transition from the pitch to Hollywood is Frank Leboeuf. He had had roles in films such as the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything and the World War II flick Allies.
He also interviewed Ronaldo years ago and asked him what he thought about getting into acting. Ronaldo said that he was open to the idea. Now, Leboeuf is revealing what the soccer superstar needs to do to become great at that craft as well.
Speaking on behalf of CSB, Leboeuf told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “Cristiano Ronaldo will be a great actor if he does one thing right … If he wants to do it, I have advice for him: do acting courses. Don’t think you’re an actor just like that. He’s been the best example of working hard to become one of the best football players in the world. So, in order to become an actor, you also have to work.
“I saw Adil Rami was doing a play for the past four months, but not following courses. And when they asked me what I thought, I said, I didn’t see him. I don’t want to see him because I know what he’s going to be lacking. He’s going to be lacking voice and presentation. That’s just normal because he doesn’t know it’s a job. It’s a real job. I’m pretty sure Cristiano Ronaldo will be a great actor. I wish him the best, but he has to follow acting courses. He has to respect the world of this industry.”
Leboeuf shared that he took acting himself before he got into the business.
“When I was young, I was watching TV. I was watching plays with my mother, and I’ve always been fond of play,” he recalled. “I wanted to see what was behind the curtain. I kept that in mind, and my father created a football club for youth in my village. So I went there and I enjoyed it and it worked and I never regretted not following acting as my first career.
“But I had a chance in 2002 to be involved in a movie called Taking Sides with Harvey Keitel and some others. And when I came back, I said, ‘OK, I’m going to try to do that after my career.’ When I gave up my career in 2005, I went to LA and followed courses at the Lee Strasberg Institute for a year and a half. I studied to play in some movies and I’ve always been great. It’s something that I feel comfortable with … I’m more involved in plays because I have a special connection with that.”
