TARON EGERTON The Dwight Stuff Words RÜDIGER STURM and JULIA ZIMANOFSKY
In his new film, Egerton relates the story of another man balancing his artistic career with life in the spotlight. Rocketman sees him play a young Reginald Dwight – who became better known as Elton John – as he wrestles with the trials and tribulations of fame and fortune. “I have a comparatively very meagre experience,” Egerton says. “I’m an actor from Wales who has been in five or six films. He is Elton John.” Here, the 29-year-old talks about portraying a living legend and how he got to know the real man behind the performance…
Taron Egerton has been on the verge of superstardom for a few years now. The British actor’s breakthrough moment came in 2014, when he starred in the bigscreen spy comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service, a role that looked as if it would catapult him into squarejawed leading-man territory. The film franchise instantly made him a household name, a situation he found challenging. “You become the focus of attention,” says Egerton, who was born in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, but grew up on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. “It requires you to simultaneously be very vulnerable and emotionally exposed, but also incredibly robust and thick-skinned.” 28
How did you go about creating your character for this film? This idea of becoming someone else, like, “He became so-and-so, he was channelling so-and-so”… you can’t fucking channel someone. I’m an actor and I created a character with elements that are hopefully informed by the real person. My performance, while acknowledging the extremes of Elton’s character and not hiding the fact he has had difficulties, is also just my interpretation of him – and my interpretation is
GAVIN BOND
He’s playing one of the world’s most celebrated icons, but the actor is all too aware of the dangers of fame and fortune
the red bulletin: How old were you when you first became aware of Elton John? taron egerton: He’s been ever-present throughout my life, and I’ve been a fan of his music since I was very young. I was 12 when his Greatest Hits album came out in 2002, and my stepdad and I used to sing along to I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues while driving to school. Then I sang Your Song to get into drama school when I was 17. He was my audition piece and now I’m playing him.
THE RED BULLETIN
