Charlie Hunnam backs David Beckham as an actor in King Arthur, saying he’s ‘a badass’

SOME say David Beckham should stick to soccer after seeing his acting in the new King Arthur movie. Now a co-star has told of what he saw on-set.

David Beckham’s cameo in Guy Ritchie’s new movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has attracted scorn in the Twittersphere. Picture: Grant Pollard/Invision/AP

SOCCER superstar David Beckham’s acting skills in new movie King Arthur: Legend Of the Sword may have been bashed by some in the Twittersphere — users calling it “cringe” and “the worst acting I’ve ever seen” — but leading man Charlie Hunnam rates his co-star “very, very highly”.

“I thought he was a total badass,” Hunnam told News Corp Australia while promoting the film, which opens in Australia on May 18.

Beckham plays a cockney knight who taunts Arthur before he pulls Excalibur from the stone in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Picture: Warner Bros

“I didn’t know much about Beckham, I’m not a football guy. Obviously I knew who he was and how much of a superstar he was, but I didn’t know much about him personally. And he just showed up and had worked so hard with an acting coach and was taking the role so seriously.

“Just watching him operate for 10 minutes, you came to understand it was no accident that he is David Beckham, regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time and an international superstar, because he had this furious work ethic combined with a genuine level of humility and kindness, which is a very endearing combination.”

Charlie Hunnam with Beckham at the London premiere of King Arthur this week. Picture: Joel Ryan/Invision/AP

Director Guy Ritchie’s brash and brawling new take on the mythical British ruler, King Arthur: Legend Of the Sword hosted real royalty when the recently-retired Prince Philip showed up on set in Windsor, home to the Queen’s weekend pad Windsor Castle.

“It was actually our first day,” recalled Hunnam. “It was a good omen — it felt somewhat anointed.”

The Queen and Prince Philip in Windsor. Philip popped up on the Arthur set when it started shooting nearby. Picture: AP

The Beckham dynasty was in effect at the King Arthur premiere, with Becks taking his son Brooklyn. Picture: AFP

But, perhaps having spent too long in the US starring in TV series Sons Of Anarchy, Hunnam struggled to remember the Prince’s name.

“The Queen’s husband ... Is it Philip? Thank God I got that right, otherwise they probably would have had my passport removed.”