Harris Dickinson reveals why playing John Lennon in four The Beatles movies is a "dream" – but with challenges
The films will also star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The upcoming quartet of Beatles biopics is one of the most intriguing film projects currently in the works – and one of the stars of the movies has given an update about his "dream" role in Sam Mendes's ambitious project.
Harris Dickinson – who will portray John Lennon in all four films – spoke to RadioTimes.com about the process of getting into character as the iconic musician during an exclusive interview to promote his directorial debut Urchin.
“ It's been amazing," he said. "It's such a unique experience to play someone of that calibre. I mean, it's intimidating, but it’s enriching, it's like an opportunity to delve into something incredibly complex and challenging, which I've loved."
He continued: "I feel really lucky to go to work every day and get to, kind of, attempt to dig into who and what that is."
The films will also star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, with a lengthy shoot having got under way during the summer.
Some reports have suggested that the filming process will take as long as 15 months ahead of the simultaneous release of all four films in 2028, but Dickinson has by no means been put off by the huge commitment required to take part.
"[ It’s] inevitably longer, but I think that's what you want as an actor," he explained. "You wanna be able to spend a good amount of time on something and get a good opportunity to really invest in it properly. That's kind of the dream.”
After months of speculation, Dickinson and his co-stars were officially unveiled as the Fab Four during a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas back in April, in which they recited lyrics from the band’s song Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and then took a Beatles-style synchronised bow.
The official longline for The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event reads (via Deadline): "Each man has his own story, but together they are legendary."
The Beatles films will be released in April 2028 and Urchin is now showing in UK cinemas
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
