When Barry Keoghan met with Ringo Starr to get ready for the upcoming Beatles series, he couldn’t bring himself to look the music legend in the eye. “For me, I’m just observing… looking for little nuances,” Keoghan told Entertainment Tonight.
At Starr’s house, the drumming icon invited him to try out the drums. While Starr showed his famous playing style, Keoghan, completely starstruck, just watched in amazement from the other side of the room. Barbara, Starr’s wife, tried to help break the ice. She kindly encouraged the nervous actor to look at her husband while they talked. Keoghan reflected that he was star-struck. “I sat opposite him and I could not look at him because I was nervous and his wife Barbara was there and she said, ‘You can look at him,’” Keoghan said at the Fastnet Film Festival, according to The Sun.
Through rigorous “Beatles Bootcamp” training, the actors are diving into their roles every day. “I’ve been doing it for like six, seven months. I’ve got blisters on my hands now.” Keoghan said at Ireland’s Fastnet Film Festival. His dedication shows in every beat, and his sobriety significantly influenced his artistic direction, leading to a constructive, controlled approach.
The work goes beyond just learning the music. Each actor needs to nail their character’s unique quirks, way of talking, and how they carry themselves. This fresh take marks the first time each Beatle’s story gets its own movie.
The cast brings fresh talent to the screen. Barry Keoghan steps in as Ringo Starr, and Paul Mescal plays McCartney. Harris Dickinson is John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn plays Harrison.
Tom Rothman of Sony Pictures sees this as something new for moviegoers: four films hitting theaters in one month. The shoot will stretch across 15 months to capture each story.
