Taron Egerton may have drawn raves in Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of legendary singer Elton John in ‘Rocketman’ but the legend’s first choice was actor-singer Justin Timberlake.
The former boybander-turned-hitmaker and actor Timberlake had once starred in the David LaChapelle-helmed video of John’s 2001 song ‘This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore’.
“But we never formerly approached Justin because we weren’t ever at a stage where it was the right time to approach him,” John’s husband and ‘Rocketman’ producer David Furnish told The Hollywood Reporter.
“But he did an amazing job in the video. He put on a prosthetic nose, and it turned out to have been some really interesting acting work as well,” Furnish added.
As for Tom Hardy, John appeared to throw a little shade on the ‘Venom’ star.
“Taron Egerton came onboard this film because somebody else dropped out,” he told the crowd at the film’s Cannes afterparty. He quickly added: “His performance in this film is scary brilliant… When I watch the movie, I don’t see an actor, I see myself.”
‘Rocketman’ goes on general release in the UAE on June 13.
