10 Actors Who Learned To Play Instruments For Their Roles
5. Taron Edgerton in Rocketman
The next biopic for the list is a more recent release from Dexter Fletcher, one that portrays the life and times of Sir Elton John.
Taron Egerton's journey to portray the character began, of all places, in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. The 2017 flick saw Elton John appear in a cameo role, kidnapped and forced to play by the film's antagonist. After the sequel had been and gone, ideas started floating around over whether Taron could play the musician himself. Thanks to this and a rendition of "I'm still standing" in the animated movie Sing, he got the part.
As a concept, Rocketman had been conceived as early as 2000, but once Egerton was cast, things moved forward quickly. The young actor spent some time taking piano lessons while also honing his existing talent for singing. Sir Elton himself said he had never seen anyone sing his songs as well as Taron had.
The end result was a phenomenal performance, bringing both superb singing and deft piano playing to the production, with many of Elton John's biggest hits making it into the film. Taron and Elton remain great friends to this day, having performed their own duets at the likes of Brighton and Hove Festival in 2019.