Who wouldn’t be nervous to meet Ringo Starr?
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Barry Keoghan admitted he was so nervous he “couldn’t look” at the legendary drummer when he met him “the other day” as he prepares to portray Starr in the upcoming Beatles biopics.
“It was sort of one of those moments where you’re in awe and you’re just frozen,” he said of the visit to Starr’s home, where the musician even “played the drums for” the actor.
Host Jimmy Kimmel proceeded to ask if the Saltburn star deliberately watched how Starr played the drums to help with his preparations.
“Yeah, I was… And when I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous, like right now. He said, ‘You can look at me,’” Keoghan recalled. “And again — you’re playing Ringo Starr. My job is to observe and take in kind of mannerisms and study, but I want to humanize him and bring feelings to him, not just sort of imitate him.”
The Hurry Up Tomorrow actor added that the drummer was “absolutely lovely” during their meeting and that they mostly “just sat in the garden, chatting away.”
Alongside Keoghan, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Harris Dickinson are set to portray Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon, respectively. Sam Mendes is directing the Beatles movie biopics, with all four films set for theatrical release in April 2028.
When the Fab Four cast was revealed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier this year, Mendes said they’re making four films for a “chance to understand them a little more deeply.”
