Taron Egerton wanted to bring his own flavor to the role of Elton John in "Rocketman" — then he fell in love with the musician's life story.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I worked as hard as I did to change myself and make myself a good person as I did to becoming an addict.
00:20Elton's music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,
00:24as is the case for, I would say, a significant percentage of the planet.
00:28I felt incredibly proud to bring his story to the big screen.
00:33I could hear the whole tune in my head. It was all there, I could see all the notes and I just had to get it out.
00:38I care about him a great deal as a man and as a friend and I really wanted to create a performance and a film that didn't always portray him in the most positive light
01:07but ultimately was a celebration of him because he's a fantastic human being.
01:11People who are creative are blessed and have a blessed life because they're able to do what they want to do.
01:25I don't know that I think all artists struggle with addiction.
01:28I think there is a correlation between creative souls and people who have self-destructive tendencies and I think there's perils of fame and excess.
01:41Having chest pains or staying up for three days at a time.
01:45I used to have spasms and I would be found on the floor and they put me back to bed and half an hour later I'd be doing the same thing.
01:58The chemical substances and the alcohol doesn't help anything and you lose touch of reality.
02:04The life I was leading, flying on a starship, living in beautiful houses, buying things, was not a normal life.
02:21As much as it can feel overwhelming portraying someone so well known, I mainly just felt excitement and pride at the prospect.
02:29To me Elton John means the greatest music and a great friend.