England footballers Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole left the pitch to attend the premiere of a Brit gangster film the pair produced.

New turf: Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole

Manchester United defender Ferdinand put up the money for Dead Man Running, starring his friend Tamer Hassan who grew up on the same Peckham estate in south London.

But Ferdinand's involvement in the film, which was screened in London last night, was on one condition - that 15 work placements were found for disadvantaged youngsters he supports through the Rio Ferdinand Live the Dream Foundation.

He said: "We're in the credit crunch so getting the children some work was the main element for me when I spoke to the director.

"I said: 'Can you please make sure the children get a chance?' Now they're going to be involved in future projects so it's going to be a win win situation for everybody involved."

Co-producer and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who is used to seeing wife Cheryl Cole in the limelight, admitted he was less comfortable with the attention himself.

Cole said: "I never thought I'd see my name in the credits of a film... but I'm not counting this, it's only small writing on the poster."

Veteran actress Brenda Blethyn, who has appeared in everything from Shakespeare to Jane Austen adaptations and worked with stars from Brad Pitt to Keira Knightley, said a film produced by footballers was a first for her.

She said: "It made no difference to the way the film was made, it just meant that it got made at all and I'm grateful to them for that. How's that for a hat-trick for you?"

She added: "When my agent called me asking if I'd appear in a gangster film I thought I was going to play the moll... turns out I play somebody's wheelchair-bound mum. But variety is the spice of life."

And starring alongside US gangster rap star 50 Cent was another first for Blethyn, but she admitted it had its perks.

Great: 50 Cent poses with Jamelia

"Curtis (50 Cent) was great. My street cred has gone through the roof with all my nieces and nephews."

The film's co-star Danny Dyer also expressed his gratitude for the Premier League backing.

He said: "They were great because they've given us publicity and that's all a film needs."

He added: "They didn't get involved because they don't understand it. You know, I'm not going to tell them how to play football so they weren't going to start telling us how to make a film."