Mark SurridgeFor years, a video of an unknown, 16-year-old Ed Sheeran failing an audition for a British TV show has been making the rounds, including being posted to YouTube. Ed himself even joked about it when it first surfaced. But for some reason, two big U.K. tabloids have now picked up on it and are having a field day with headlines about the singer being "brutally rejected" and "snubbed."
The video in question is a behind-the-scenes look at the audition process for a 2008 musical series called Britannia High. Similar to Glee or Fame, the show followed a group of young people and their mentors at a fictional performing arts school in London. Producers were looking for cast members who could sing, dance and act.
As the video shows, Ed was great at the singing part, but when it came to dancing, he was pretty hopeless; as he flounders around, one of the judges shakes her head and mutters, "Not even an option."
A choreographer notes, "Ed hasn't a clue what he's doing, but he's trying." Ed then admits he "messed up" because he got "kicked in the face by accident."
Other judges are seen raving over Ed's voice and guitar-playing skills but wonder whether he can act. We see him about to do a scene but never find out whether he was any good.
At the end, Ed is ultimately rejected, and notes, "I don't think anyone can say they didn't want the part and weren't hoping to get the part. Everyone wanted it as much as the next person."
Three years later, Ed scored his first hit and is now one of the biggest, and richest, musicians in the world. And oh yeah — he can also dance now.
By Andrea Dresdale
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