Elton John "blown away" by Taron Egerton's voice in new biopic Rocketman
The Kingsman and Eddie the Eagle star will play a young Elton John
Sir Elton John clearly approves of Taron Egerton and the words he knows, the tune he hums – because he was apparently "blown away" by the actor's vocals for his biopic.
The Grammy-winning singer's life is the subject of forthcoming film Rocketman, which will tell the story of his rise to fame and his hugely successful career – all the way through to his battles with drugs and alcohol and his recovery in the 1990s.
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And Egerton, who shared the screen with Sir Elton in Kingsman sequel The Golden Circle, will be donning the oversized novelty rose-tinted sunglasses when filming begins in a few months, and is already hard at work at Abbey Road Studios recording vocals.
And Sir Elton has been listening in.
Sir Elton's husband David Furnish, who is producing the movie, told The Hollywood Reporter: "When I played the songs for Elton, he was blown away, really blown away."
Even better, when he saw a picture of Egerton in the studio wearing a vintage Elton John concert t-shirt, the singer added: "It can’t get any better for me."
The Rocket Man singer, 70, also had some sage advice for the actor who'll be playing his younger self.
Furnish explained: "Elton has told Taron, ‘Don’t copy me. Don’t think you have to sing it exactly the way that I sang it. Don’t think you have to perform it the way I performed it.'
"I think it’s the challenge for the actor to embody the spirit and not get into thinking they have to do an impersonation."
Of course, this is not the first time Egerton has covered an Elton classic. He performed I'm Still Standing for the 2016 animated movie Sing – playing the musically-talented gorilla Johnny.
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