See How The Rocketman Cast Resembles Their Real-Life Counterparts
Rocketman isn't a biopic. It's a musical—one that invites the viewer into the fantasy and emotion of Elton John's life rather than telling the standard biographical chronology of it. But while John might not have ever levitated at a concert or became a literal rocket—as he does in the film—Rocketman does stay true to its characters. Taron Egerton, who plays John, actually sings in the film and does a pretty good job imitating the musician's vocals. Meanwhile, the actor also looks a hell of a lot like the real Elton John. The same can be said for a number of the other big names in the film and their real-life counterparts.
In fact, John himself was so concerned about the accuracy of the film—and how he was depicted—that he ensured it be rated-15 rather than 12A.
"I didn’t want a film packed with drugs and sex," he wrote in the Guardian, "but equally, everyone knows I had quite a lot of both during the 70s and 80s, so there didn’t seem to be much point in making a movie that implied that after every gig, I’d quietly gone back to my hotel room with only a glass of warm milk and the Gideon’s Bible for company."
So, expect see Elton John's life through his own lens—which is to say, the perfect way to make this movie. The good news is that both John, and critics, are a fan of the result. Below, see the Rocketman actors alongside the actual people they're playing.
1| Bryce Dallas Howard Plays Sheila Farebrother
2| Jamie Bell plays Bernie Taupin
3| Taron Egerton plays Elton John
4| Richard Madden plays John Reid
5| Steven Mackintosh plays Stanley Dwight
6| Stephen Graham plays Dick James
This story originally appeared on Esquire.co.uk.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
