International pop star Elton John teamed up with his big screen Rocketman doppelgänger, Taron Egerton, for a new song, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again."
The music video for the uptempo track is made up of a melange of psychedelic images from John's decades-long career, scenes from the recording session for the song, and clips from the new 'musical fantasy bio pic.'
• InstaHunk Joel Green (above) shares his recipe for a successful Monday: "Dream. Plan. Do."
• Donald Trump's entire family tagged along on his recent state visit to the UK, and along the way sons Don Jr. and Eric went on an Irish pub crawl where they offered free rounds of drinks for the house but didn't pony up when it was time to pay the bill.
• I know, I know - no one wants to see a hunky, kilted Scot proposing to his boyfriend in the middle of a Pride parade, but if you did, hit the play button below:
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• Scientists at the University of Toronto say being left-handed is one of three factors that could indicate a man is gay. Having an older brother is the second and having gay family members is the third.
• Taron Egerton, star of the musical biopic Rocketman, joined Elton John onstage for a duet of the pop star's classic tune, "Your Song," wearing a Pride t-shirt. #swoon
The upcoming 'musical fantasy biopic,' Rocketman, based on the life and career of pop music superstar Elton John, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews this past Thursday.
At the end of the screening, the audience - with John, star Taron Egerton and director Dexter Fletcher — reportedly burst into applause.
The reviews so far have been strong, especially for Egerton:
"He (Egerton) doesn’t disappear into the role, exactly, but he accomplishes something nearly as remarkable, which is to locate subtle depths of feeling in a character we first see wearing a devil-horned chicken costume." - Los Angeles Times
"It’s a biopic and a jukebox musical and a romance, and also a movie about addiction, all crammed into a frenetic, jewel-studded ecstasy of a movie." - Vox
"All white men fortunate enough to commission big-screen versions of their own life stories should be so lucky as to have someone as casually adorable as Egerton play them on screen — not because he’s an especially strong actor but because even with various unflattering wigs and a gap-toothed bridge ... Egerton has a hard time looking dumpy." - Variety
And, of course, there are the inevitable comparisons to last year's box office smash Bohemian Rhapsody, which focused on the life of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, which many felt was straight-washed in terms of Mercury's homosexuality.
"If Bohemian Rhapsody were the cheeseburger of music icon biopics, then Rocketman is the sirloin steak – with lobster on the side." - The Sun
For those who can't wait until May 31, there are special, limited Early Access screenings beginning today via Fandango.
The producers have also released a new song penned by Elton and partner Bernie Taupin for the end credits titled, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again," performed as a duet between John and Egerton.
In addition to creative expression, I'm sure it's also Elton's bid for another Oscar for "Best Original Song," as catalog tunes don't make the cut at the Academy Awards.
• In anticipation of the upcoming Rocketman, chronicling the life of music superstar Elton John, the producers have released an official music video of the title song sung by film's star, Taron Egerton. The musical fantasy biopic lands in US theaters May 31.
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• When Channing Tatum loses, we all win. The 'Magic Mike' star lost a game of Jenga, and so he had to post a photo of girlfriend Jessie J's choosing. She has good taste.
Taron Egerton covers Attitude Magazine's June Issue
Taron Egerton, who plays pop superstar Elton John in the upcoming musical fantasy biopic Rocketman, shares with Attitude Magazine there was a time he wondered if he might be gay.
“When I was 14 or 15, I had a period of thinking I might be gay and I spoke to my mother about it,” says the 29-year-old. “It was a part of a period in my life where my mind was figuring things out.”
There’s something many of us can relate to.
Blaming the confusion on teenage hormones, Egerton admits it’s a time when “you question everything.”
“It was a very real feeling to me, and I was very panicked and upset about how I would be perceived,” the Welsh actor told Attitude. “That is not the same as going through it for real, but there is some understanding of what it might be like, and I remember feeling that acutely.”
The Kingsman star admits it’s not the same thing as coping with coming out himself, but “I guess there is a small kernel of that which I have experienced.”
Additionally, he shares that his roommate and bestie in drama school came out to him during that time, and he had a first-hand view of how the coming out process can impact a person.
“I’ve had someone cry in my arms about the fact that they were so terrified and at a loss at what to do,” he says.
When you add all that up, it’s not surprising that Egerton recently told GQ UK that he “always felt more at home in a gay club than at a football match.”
Still, Egerton is sympathetic that he landed a plum role that many gay actors would have relished.
“I completely understand why a gay actor would feel that this is an opportunity for which they would be better suited,” he acknowledged. “The way I feel about it is Elton asked me to play in a movie about his life. I am proud and privileged to be playing this person who happens to be gay.”
He also guarantees the film will not be 'straight-washed,' as many alleged the recent Bohemian Rhapsody hedged on the sexuality of Freddie Mercury.
"I would not have played this character if I didn't think we could make a film the gay community would watch and feel a sense of ownership of," he promises.
As Kingsman star Taron Egerton prepares for the release of his latest cinematic adventure - playing Elton John in the upcoming musical fantasy biopic Rocketman - the handsome actor makes an unexpected admission.
“Without ever wishing to seem ungrateful for the Kingsmanthing,” he tells GQ UK’s Chris Mandle for this month’s cover story, “as much as I love the films, especially the first, I will always feel like something of an imposter in that world.”
Imposter? What you talking about, Taron?
“The ‘guy’, the ‘bro’, the ‘stunt guy’,” says the 29-year-old actor, highlighting the phrases with air quotes. “I’ve never been that guy. I’m just not. I’m the guy who was playing Seymour in Little Shop Of Horrors when he was 17.”
When Mandle points out that it’s all acting anyway, Egerton conceded - a bit.
“Maybe,” said the handsome actor. “But I always felt more at home in a gay club than at a football match, far more at home.”
(photo: Gavin Bond)
And speaking of “gay,” Egerton addresses the reports about a certain sex scene that was rumored to have been excised from the film, but then wasn’t.
“Well, the stuff we shot was pretty explicit,” Egerton shares. “I mean, that’s why I made the film. Those scenes are desperately -important when you have an icon of that magnitude, who means so much to one community.”
Calling Elton John “a standard bearer” for the LGBTQ community, Egerton felt it his responsibility to live up to that.
“For me, especially as a heterosexual actor, not to push the envelope as far as I can or try to make it a wholehearted celebration of being a gay man would be wrong,” he told GQ.
The Welsh actor has heard the stories about Bohemian Rhapsody being “straight-washed” for other countries where overt gay-isms don’t go over so well. He says banking box office bucks shouldn’t trump a film’s cinematic integrity.
“It’s a studio movie. It’s Elton John. We’ve got to own that. I don’t care how well the film does in Russia. It doesn’t matter. It can’t matter. What’s an extra $25 million at the box office? What are you willing to do for that? Sacrifice sleeping at night because you watered the whole thing down?”
What Egerton won’t ‘water down’ is the small amount of his life he shares on social media. Taron is going to be Taron.
Still somewhat new to Instagram, he posted a photo of a longtime friend last October, with the caption “Cutie. My boy.” Egerton learned how quickly people will read into a post and assume he was attempting to come out.
He clarified the situation in an interview, saying he’s straight, but shares the background of the post with GQ UK.
“I’ve known that guy since I was eleven,” he explained. “And he is a cutie. I call all my friend stuff like that. Anyone can tell you. [But] it doesn’t mean I want to f*ck any of them.”
In fact, Egerton isn’t all that fond of labels when it comes to how we view each other.
“I’m not someone who really subscribes to this binary view of male and female archetypes or ways of behaving,” he says. “And it’s only going to happen more and more. The lines are blurring. People are identifying and expressing themselves more fluidly. Our concept of what a straight man or gay man looks like or is expected to behave in 20 years will be nothing like it is now.”
Egerton’s GQ UK cover story (with gorgeous photography by Gavin Bond) is on newsstands now.
