TWO teens who worked at Wembley Market in the 1980s have been reunited 20 years later for a blockbuster film released on Friday.
Elliott Lester, 39, who was raised in Harrow and used to help on an underwear and hosiery stall when he was 13 years old, directs Hollywood action star Jason Statham in cop killer thriller 'Blitz'.
"They got to chatting on set about what they used to do for pocket money growing up and found out they both worked on Wembley Market at the same time," said Mr Lesters father, Jack, 70, who appears as an ice cream vendor in the film.
Based on a Ken Bruen novel, and adapted by Nathan Parker, 'Blitz' is about a man called Thomas Brant "whose buddies are all being murdered and so decides to track down the killer himself," said Elliott Lester.
The film-maker, who was a pupil at Uxendon Manor Primary School in Vista Way, Kenton, and Claremont High School in Claremont Avenue, Kenton, has lived in Los Angeles for the past 15 years after graduating from Leeds University.
Mr Lester said: "We shot the whole film in the UK. It felt ironic coming back to London to shoot and it was wild shooting in east London, everything has changed since I was a kid."
After graduating from university, Mr Lester travelled to Uzbekistan in central Asia where he made a film in the desert. He laughed: "It's awful. Its so embarrassing. My first work was so bad and pretentious."
In Los Angeles, Mr Lester got his break directing music videos, working with artists including Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson and The Fray.
The 1h 37m long 'Blitz' is his second feature length film and he is keen to work with a variety of stars on future projects.
He said: "Although some directors Martin Scorsese for instance like working with the same actors, there are just so many talented actors out there that I think it would be a shame not to work with lots of people."
