Craig McGinlay is reluctant to take any praise for his part in developing two of Scotland's beloved football stars. His role at St. Mirren working in sports science and helping hone Kenny McLean's left foot, and John McGinn's superpowers, was during his second life. That was the life which came after his spell in professional rugby, and before his career as an actor -- one which has seen him star in a Guy Ritchie film alongside Jude Law, and in a BAFTA-award winning series.
When Scotland played Haiti, McGinlay, 40, was one of the thousands of Scots packed inside the Foxborough stands as Boston fell in love with the Tartan Army. And he was watching two familiar faces out on the field.
"I've not really talked about them a lot in interviews as I worry about how it might get misconstrued, like I made them or something. No way," McGinlay tells ESPN. "I contributed a little early on, but these two boys are their own men. They were so driven."
McGinlay was a promising rugby player and featured for the Scotland Under-20 side, but persistent shoulder problems saw him turn attention to sports science and fitness. He worked with Scottish side St. Mirren and in the academy were McLean and McGinn. "Kenny was the standout footballer in the club, really. The way he moved the ball was just, different. It's hard to explain."
McGinlay was there at Hampden Park when McLean scored from inside his own half. "It was so emotional, watching this man get Scotland to a World Cup when you remember him as a much younger player. Even then, when we were doing the yoyo tests, we had to switch it off. He's just incredibly fit."
And then there's "super" John McGinn. "I worked with John from when he was 14 for three years or so. He's the most lovely, polite man. Some players found the stuff I did dull: the mobility, flexibility and core stabilization work that I bring to the table. But John soaked it up like a sponge, and just really kicked on.
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"John was probably touch and go as to whether we'd keep him on -- that's crazy now when you look back on the thoughts then. I was part of a discussion where it was like, biomechanically, do we think John is going to develop in the right way? Because he admits himself, he does move differently. His willingness to learn set him apart, and with that attitude, you could work on his biomechanics. His attitude really served him well, and led to him getting that contract, and from there, well, the rest is history."
McGinlay worked with professional football teams full time, with the likes of St Mirren and Hibs, did sports massage at Rangers, worked at Falkirk, with Commonwealth Games athletes in the lead up to Delhi, and on hockey, swimming and badminton in the lead up to London 2012 and for Glasgow 2014. It was just before that Commonwealth Games a career switch presented itself.
A casting agent was on the lookout for a last-minute stand-in for a weightlifter in an advert ahead of the Games. The one they had was a little short. McGinlay did the job and was then spotted by a director for a short film. He signed for a talent agency and modelled for Nike, Ray-Ban and various other brands and got the nod for a Haig whisky commercial which just so happened to have Guy Ritchie directing it with David Beckham also featuring.
"I clearly remember looking down at one point and David Beckham's on a motorbike, Guy Ritchie's directing, John Matheson -- who was cinematographer on Gladiator -- is behind the camera. Mark Wolf, who does all the aerial shots for the Bond movies, was in a helicopter flying over. And I clearly remember thinking, 'I'm gonna quit my job, I'm gonna move to London and try this.'"
And when Ritchie decided to make King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, he asked McGinlay if he'd audition for a part. "I was supposed to play someone called Harry, and not really have any dialogue. And then when I was on set, I got called into a room and Guy said: 'Look, we haven't said your name yet. You've been in one scene. We feel you'd be right to play Sir Percival. Have you got four months to just be here?'
"I had 10 days to decide what I was doing -- I was working for UEFA at the time, running a lot of the Finnish FA's injury prevention programs in Helsinki, so it was a big call. But I knew if it didn't work out, I could probably go back to my old life. So within the next couple of days, I was on set with Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Aidan Gillen and Eric Bana. I knew I needed to bulk up, so I did my diet at 8,000 calories a day and put on 12 kilos of muscle and did all my own stunts. I was like a big kid just having fun really."
From there other roles followed. "I played the lead villain in a movie in Mumbai for five months and, you know, you get to travel with it. I played a gladiator in Morocco for three months and I've been in Outlander, and worked on a show called You for Netflix. Then recently we won the BAFTA for Blue Lights. So it's been a great experience, but I still feel so new to it as I never trained or anything."
From working on McGinn's core strength, to treading the red carpet with Hollywood royalty. It's some journey. But as he sat in Foxborough, and watched his old friends playing for Scotland, there was that pang of nostalgia for his old life. "I was never looking for a way out of what I did. I loved it. And when I see the boys playing now, I really miss it. You're there, part of the warm-up, and you feel part of it. Working in football was amazing, but I do love what I do now, and I'm really happy to be giving it a shot."
