Walk On: The Athletic FC's Liverpool show Kenny Dalglish: the player, manager & his significance to Liverpool
Nov 17, 2025
Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director behind films like 'Senna' and 'Amy,' joins to delve into his new documentary on Kenny Dalglish. He shares personal insights about the legendary player's off-camera humility and warmth, and the challenges of balancing Dalglish's football highlights with difficult events like Hillsborough. The conversation also touches on making the film accessible to younger fans and showcases rare footage that highlights Dalglish’s technical brilliance and impact on Liverpool's legacy.
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Use Low-Key Interviews To Build Trust
- Kapadia says build trust by working low-key: one mic, no cameras, informal chats to relax subjects.
- Use patient, repeated conversations rather than intensive one-off formal interviews.
Kenny Was Unassumingly Personable
- Asif Kapadia found Kenny Dalglish warm and open, often arriving in a suit and happily chatting for hours over Irn-Bru and Dairy Milk.
- Kapadia remembered Dalglish inviting the film team into his home and being relaxed off-camera, contradicting perceptions of him as awkward with media.
The 'Step Up' Narrative Thread
- Kapadia frames Dalglish as the person who repeatedly 'stepped up' whenever Liverpool needed him across playing and managerial roles.
- That pattern became the film's central narrative thread tying his football feats to his leadership in crisis.
