Taron Egerton reminds me of Jack O’Connell. Two working-class British guys who are challenging the posh-actor British establishment. I also think both Jack and Taron are utter dolls, although Taron seems to be drawn to flashier material. Taron is probably best known for his role in The Kingsman franchise, but this year he’ll be known as the young working class bloke who plays the young Elton John in Rocketman. The Hollywood Reporter put Taron on their Cannes Film Festival preview issue – Rocketman will have a big, splashy premiere in Cannes, and I’m looking forward to it. As for the interview, Taron comes across well. He’s 29 years old, so he’s been around for years and he understands how the industry works. You won’t catch him acting above it all or like he doesn’t want attention. He’s here to play. Some highlights:
On Rocketman possibly making as much money as Bohemian Rhapsody: “I’m at peace with however much money it makes. But I hope it does really, really well. If it made half of [Bohemian Rhapsody], it would be terrific for my career.”
His working class family: When his parents split, Taron (it means “thunder” in Welsh) moved with his mom to Wales. “Growing up, we never had space,” he recalls. “We never owned places. We always rented.”
He’s sensitive: “I’m loath to psychoanalyze myself. But I am someone who is quite sensitive. I feel things very acutely.”
He lost the lead role in Solo: A Star Wars Story to Alden Ehrenreich. “I didn’t go to the last audition because it didn’t feel right to me. To be honest, I think it was always going to be Alden’s part.”
He was in the 2018 flop Robin Hood: “I don’t regret it. I thought the pitch was genuinely interesting, and I thought it sounded like a legitimate, gritty reimagining of something that’s always been dealt with in a flowery, glossy way.”
The gay plotline in Rocketman: “Everyone is obsessed with it,” he marvels. The fact that Egerton identifies as heterosexual — his girlfriend of more than two years is assistant director Emily Thomas, currently working in Jamaica on the next Bond movie — even sparked a backlash of its own, with some on social media questioning why a gay actor wasn’t cast to play John. “I have spoken to gay people for whom it’s not a problem, and I’ve spoken to gay people for whom it is a problem. I completely understand. But for my part, I’m an actor, and I did not get into acting to just play people like me. You have to draw the line somewhere, and I don’t want to live in a world where straight people play straight people and gay people play gay people.”
He “threw himself into the part ‘a hundred percent’”: “For me, kissing a man onscreen is no less appealing than kissing a woman onscreen. I’m not in any way repulsed by the male form. It’s an uncomfortable thing regardless of who you’re with — it makes no difference as to your sexual preference.”
He’s a simple bloke: “I don’t really have a lofty lifestyle — I enjoy things like this,” he says, nodding to the ninth-story view of West London. In fact, since becoming a movie star, Egerton has only splurged on one big purchase: a townhouse for his mom. “Now when I go home, the family finally has space and we all have room and can sit around a kitchen table. It’s a proper family home.”
I’m sure there will be people who refuse to see the movie just because they think the role should have gone to a gay man, and I like that Taron accepts that and listens to that criticism without getting defensive. But as THR makes clear, Elton John and David Furnish fell for Taron from the word go, and Elton particularly loved Taron’s singing. I think for Elton, it was more important that they find someone who was musically compatible rather than someone who was gay. Does Elton’s seal of approval mean something? I hope so, because I feel like Taron is leaving it all out there for people.
"'My God, this is as good as Grease!" How Elton John (@eltonofficial) reacted to watching @TaronEgerton perform on the set of #Rocketman https://t.co/nq8naI5b9A pic.twitter.com/cRsViWCSjd
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 6, 2019
Photo and cover courtesy of THR.
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