Ronnie; i never knew he has all this skills…

Ronnie; i never knew he has all this skills…

The concierge holds open the door of a chic London hotel; you enter the darkly illuminated lobby, go by elegant diners and an open fire, and enter a sleek elevator; across an abstract art-lined hallway, around a bend to the very end where the final door waits in semi-darkness; into a suite featuring Ronnie O’Sullivan’s favorite meal, cream scones and sandwiches on a long table, and to a leather sofa at the far end.

This is O’Sullivan’s hiding place, an hour before his Leicester Square movie premiere in London. Grinning, he comes out from another room, gives me a fist bump, and settles in. He is wearing dark pants, elegant shoes, and a blue pullover. Fans are gathered in movie theaters throughout the nation to watch the film and participate in a live Q&A session later, while journalists are in attendance to pose questions for O’Sullivan. Among the well-known attendees celebrating O’Sullivan is executive producer David Beckham. He is dreading it as well.

O’Sullivan smiles. “If I had read the contract before starting this and it stated you had to do a premiere, I would have probably said, ‘that’s me out then.'” “When we first started, they mentioned a film festival, and I thought, ‘I have to go to that?'” They responded with a “yes.” “F**k,” was how I felt.

Really, that’s not my style, but I’m working on accepting it. I’ve never been adept at accepting praise or a pat on the back. I usually feel embarrassed when someone says, “Oh, I’ve always followed your game.” I’m making an effort to change that and allow other people to be happy for [me].

In a nutshell, this is O’Sullivan: forced into situations he doesn’t want to be in, frequently against his will, and forced to cope. It is the tale of two opposing sides in his life—the athletic prodigy and the reclusive introvert with unstable mental health. The star who despises crowds, the bashful teenager thrust into the spotlight, the superstar who never sought recognition, and the snooker player who detests the “evil” Crucible Theatre all exhibit this dichotomy in his film.