Barry Keoghan has been preparing to play Ringo Starr ahead of Sam Mendes‘ forthcoming biopic films about the four members of the Beatles. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor confirmed he visited Starr at his home.
“I met Ringo the other day,” Keoghan told Jimmy Kimmel. “I met him at his house, and he played the drums for me. He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.”
“Was he playing drums to show you how he does it?” Kimmel asked. “Yeah,” Keoghan replied, “he wasn’t just playing them when I walked in. I mean, we went over there. We talked first and we had coffee. It was sort of one of those moments where you’re just in awe and you just froze.”
Keoghan added that he was watching Starr to see what he could learn for his portrayal. “I said it to him, and when I was talking to him I couldn’t look at him,” he recalled. “I was nervous, like right now. But he’s like, ‘You can look at me.’ … My job is to observe and kind of take in mannerisms and study him. I want to humanize him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”
The actor affirmed that Starr was “absolutely lovely” and they “just sat in the garden and chatted away.”
Mendes will direct four films, one for each member of the Beatles. Alongside Keoghan, Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison. The biopics will be released by Sony Pictures in April 2028.
“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes previously shared in a statement. The director — whose work includes American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Skyfall, and more — will be the first to have full access to both the life stories of each member and the band’s music rights for a scripted film.
Starr actually leaked Keoghan’s casting ahead of the official announcement, as the actor and Kimmel mentioned in their interview. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in November, the drummer weighed in when asked about the rumored casting, telling the network, “I think he’s great, I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons. I hope not too many.”
From Rolling Stone US
