ONE of the many films promoted at this year’s CinemaCon was director Dexter Fletcher’s
Rocketman. In the film, Taron Egerton plays the five-time Grammy-winning icon Elton John, and the footage shown at the convention showcased some incredible musical numbers and outrageous costumes that proved Rocketman isn’t the typical run-of-the-mill film.
The film also stars Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden and Gemma Jones.
Rocketman is not a biopic but an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton’s breakthrough years. It follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into the bespectacled international superstar Elton John.This inspirational story — set to Elton’s most beloved songs and performed by Egerton — tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture.
Bell plays the role of Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, while Madden as the star’s first manager, John Reid, and Howard as Elton’s mother, Sheila Farebrother.
Below, Egerton and his co-star Bell speak about their roles and the production.
ROCKETMAN IS A UNIQUE MOVIE AND MUSICAL EXPERIENCE, IN SO MANY WAYS. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
Taron Egerton : Well, the mandate was always that this wouldn’t be a straight out-and-out biopic; that it would lead into elements of fantasy.
The movie begins with Elton entering rehab. For me personally, that was what I found exciting, because I think that someone who’s so universally known, to see them in such an intimate, vulnerable situation is quite unusual. What happens (in the movie) is that Elton recounts his life through rehab, and we learn his story from being a young child and going to the Royal Academy of Music, all the way up to the point where he has to go to rehab. And this (the fact we show that) says something about Elton and how candid and resilient he is.
ALL OF US HAVE AN IMAGE OF ELTON JOHN IN OUR HEAD, AND THE LYRICS OF BERNIE TAUPIN. HOW DO YOU TACKLE PORTRAYING THAT KIND OF MUSICAL LEGACY?
Egerton: Yeah, it’s terrifying. And because this is a musical and because it’s a fantasy, it was always a prerequisite that the actors sing. We were lucky in the sense that Elton and David (Furnish) were very close to the project. And Elton has been fantastic, frankly, in letting me be a part of his life for the past couple of years and befriending me, which has made the whole thing feel very personal and very real.
Jamie Bell: It couldn’t be more polar-opposite for me. We know Bernie’s lyrics, but I think a lot of people would be hard pushed to identify him in a photograph or pick out his voice from an audio recording, so it’s a totally different level of responsibility. For me, there was (even) an element of invention. Taron didn’t have that luxury.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE ELTON AND BERNIE’S RELATIONSHIP?
Egerton: One of the unique things about Elton is that he doesn’t write lyrics — he confesses himself that it’s not his strong suit. And Elton is quite an unusual animal because he’s changed so much over his life. He started out as someone quite shy, naive and innocent. He’s told me some stories about himself as a young man that kind of defied belief knowing him because he’s no shrinking violet now.
And one of the big catalysts for change in Elton’s life was his relationship with Bernie. The first time I asked him about his relationship with Bernie, Elton said: ‘Aside from what happened creatively, he’s the brother I never had.’ I think they kind of fell in love a little bit, as creative partners. He completed him. And then they changed music, and that’s sort of wonderful because they’re two working class lads from different backgrounds who came together and there was just this synergy.
Bell: They have a very interesting method of collaboration, which is that they never work in the same room together, ever. Bernie writes the lyrics alone, hands them over. Elton goes alone into a room with a piano and somehow it turns into Tiny Dancer or Your Song. It’s remarkable. Elton has a gift of bringing joy to people. His music just inspires joy. My son listens to it, these kind of lullaby versions of his songs.
There’s something joyful about the melodic structures of these pieces of music. So, for me as an actor, it was so easy to be his kind of other-half because I admire Elton as an artiste so much. Also, Taron’s a great dude and we had such a great time on the movie that that stuff was easy. Ultimately Bernie is the one character who remains the same throughout the movie. And Bernie is this one central person that he orbits around. And he needs that. I think everyone needs that in their life, to have a solid friend who knew you before all this happened to you.
TARON, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT BECOMING ELTON?
Egerton: Weirdly, although I know I’m perhaps blessed with a fairly youthful face — that has got me turned away from pubs at 29 — I found the stuff where I played him older, easier. And I think that’s because all the time I’ve spent with Elton has been with older Elton. I haven’t spent any time with 21-year-old Elton. There is footage (of him at that age), but it’s interesting because people portray such a (different) version of themselves on camera. For me, it all came from the first time I sat down with him and we had curry together. I went over and had a takeaway curry at his house and we just talked for about 2½ hours. It’s such a hard thing to describe. When you’re given the honour of playing one of the most adored and famous people in the world, there’s such a weight of responsibility that comes with it. And then when you meet them and genuinely connect with them, it just feels like one of the most important things I’ve ever done.
HOW ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION? HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THAT?
Egerton: There’s an element of getting to look as much like him as you can, which is very helpful. And I found it easier the older I got. There are four rough stages of Elton [in the movie]. The first one being his kind of teenage bowl cut, sporting chunky Buddy Holly glasses.
Then into the long hair, early twenties stuff where we’re in LA (Los Angeles). And then the hair starts to go. So, for the third look I shaved my hairline up higher than it already is, by a couple of inches. And then, for the fourth and final look, I have a bald cap where I’ve essentially just got a few wisps [of hair] left.
And there’s something about completely changing the way you look that really conditions how you feel and move. At some point in his mid-to-late twenties, things started to get a little bit out of control and unravelled a little bit for him. And (it helped) putting a slight gap in my teeth and changing my hair did make a difference because it didn’t help me feel very much like me. So, I created this sort of hybrid of me and him.
Getting to know him, there are some parallels between Elton and me. I mean, I’m not a genius, but in the sense of some of the neuroses and insecurities. I recognised some of my emotional volatility. I’m someone who has very extreme and acute reactions to things. And that is certainly who Elton is.
BOTH OF YOU HAVE ELTON AND BERNIE’S BLESSING FOR THE FILM. BUT DOES THAT BRING MORE PRESSURE, IN A WAY?
Egerton: Well, they haven’t seen it yet. It’s only when they see the movie that I think we’ll both be able to relax. But Elton has been phenomenally encouraging. Throughout the process, alongside filming we were in the studio a lot on Abbey Road, recording tracks. I would get the rough mixes and send them to him. On the music, I really needed to hear from him that he was okay with what was happening. And he was and that was amazing.
Bell: It’s a horrible thing, encapsulating the legacy of people you barely know but who everyone else admires. I went up to Santa Barbara and met Bernie and his wife, and we talked for a while. And he’s just a regular guy, just endlessly positive. But it’s daunting. You want to be free in the role and invent and feel creative with it, but at the same time, you’re nervous to do something that steps outside the line or might upset someone. You’re always tinkering with your levels of performance to make sure that you stay within the lines.
Egerton: I always felt, very keenly, that it’s no secret that Elton has his ups and downs. And for me, what was most important was that we were true to that, because that’s who he is — and, frankly, that’s why we love him. So, I felt very much when we were on set that I wanted to push it, because I knew the one person who wouldn’t mind me doing that was Elton, because he’s not precious. He knows where his strengths and weaknesses lie and he’s at peace with who he is. And he’s been through a hell of a lot. He’s been through recovery. He is settled, solid and knows who he is and he’s frank and candid about it. So, I always wanted it to be that duality between this sweet, incredibly caring and generous person who just has this intense artistic sensibility and volatility. I believe that this goes hand in hand with his creative genius. To not honour it felt incorrect.
SO, IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT THIS MOVIE ISN’T SHYING AWAY FROM ANYTHING?
Egerton: Well, part of the journey you’re going through in rehabilitation is that you have to confront all the mistakes and wrong turns you’ve made and be at peace with who you are and learn to love yourself again. And you can’t do that unless you love all aspects of who you are. And it’s that process that is the prism through which we see his life (in Rocketman
). This is not a movie that glamorises drug use. Elton’s relationship with certain substances was extremely corrosive and bad for his health and nearly cost him everything. And that was an important part of the story for me; the balance is also in making it something that is joyous and celebratory.
ELTON JOHN HAS ALWAYS BEEN LARGER THAN LIFE. DID YOUR PERFORMANCE HAVE TO BE LARGER THAN LIFE TOO?
Egertron: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Particularly when it came to the stage performances in the film, it felt like it needed that kind of swagger, that kind of explosive quality Elton has. And we worked with this incredible costume designer, Julian Day. The costumes are unbelievable. Also, what I found enjoyable were the scenes where I’m not wearing very much at all, like hot pants. It was very liberating. I spend a lot of my life not in the world’s best shape. And, you know, Elton has had his ups and downs, too. But there’s something very, very freeing about just going, ‘What the heck. I’m just gonna love it, have fun and embrace it.’
There was nothing Julian could put in front of me that I felt squeamish or sheepish about. Elton is someone who has pushed the envelope in so many ways, to the edge. Elton has also pushed aspects of his life to the point of oblivion. And that’s what this film needed to be.