Yahoo News Rocketman star responds to Bohemian Rhapsody comparisons
With 'fantasy musical' Rocketman about to blast into cinemas, some fans have been quick to make comparisons between the film about Elton John's life and 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
But actor Taron Egerton, who plays musical legend Elton in Rocketman, has put those comparisons to bed once and for all, saying that the films are 'different animals'.
"Our movie is a different animal," he said at a press conference at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival (via Vanity Fair).
"Our movie is a musical. It requires an actor who can sing in the lead role. For a biopic, that's not necessary. I'm very grateful that people compare us. Hopefully, it shows that there's an appetite for movies [like this]."
Related: Why Tom Hardy was replaced by Taron Egerton for Rocketman
Egerton sings all the songs in Rocketman, while for Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek's vocals were mixed with Freddie Mercury's for the soundtrack.
But Egerton also showed that there's no bad feeling between the casts, as he praised Malek's Oscar-winning performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, calling him "one of the most talented actors of our generation".
"I'm lucky enough to know Rami personally and he's the nicest, most brilliant man, and one of the most talented actors of our generation. I'm very proud that we are mentioned in the same breath," Egerton added.
"[Bohemian Rhapsody] has been such a global phenomenon and success and rightly so. It's a great, rip-roaring piece of entertainment."
Rocketman charts the story of Elton's rise to fame and co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton's mother Sheila Eileen, Richard Madden as Elton's past lover John Reid and Jamie Bell as Elton's musical collaborator Bernie Taupin.
The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who also stepped in to finish Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired from the film. Fletcher lated called working on the Queen film a "good boot camp" for Rocketman.
"It was a good boot camp - same period, the costume designer [Julian Day] was the same. It was like, 'OK, go do this, get your feet wet, get yourself ready' - which it did, it got me match-ready," he reflected earlier this month.
"I was excited by it. I didn't have an emotional attachment to Bohemian Rhapsody, not the same way I did with Rocketman. For me it was a bit of a no-lose situation."
And it looks like it all paid off, as the first reviews of Rocketman are largely very positive, with Time Out calling it a "turbo-charged rock fantasia".
Rocketman hits cinemas on May 22 in the UK and May 31 in the US.
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