Barry Keoghan reveals he was so nervous meeting Ringo Starr that he couldn't look him in the eye - as he attends 'Beatles Bootcamp' to prepare for biopic role as the drummer

Daily Mail​

27-05-2025

Barry Keoghan has revealed he was so nervous meeting Ringo Starr that he couldn't look him in the eye as he prepares to play him in the upcoming Beatles biopic.
Gladiator II hunk Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Barry will star as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison in the films about The Fab Four.
And to prepare for the role they have all been attending a 'Beatles Bootcamp' for the past 16 weeks, with Barry, 32, learning drumming and even meeting Ringo himself.
Speaking at the Fastnet Film Festival in Ireland this week Barry said of the encounter with the icon, 84,: 'I sat opposite him and I could not look at him because I was nervous and his wife Barbara was there and she said, 'You can look at him.'
'Every time I looked at him I saw myself in his glasses. I said to him: 'I am not coming here to quiz you. I am coming to find out what made you and how the contrast was going back to Liverpool after Beatlemania.'
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'We can all do imitation but I wanted to know where it came from. He was so on the money.'
He also described his current Beatles Bootcamp as an 'absolute joy' where he has been practising the 'walk and accent' of Ringo.
Barry explained: 'It's a place of failing, a place of learning and trying. That's the process I'm in now. It's a playground for me.'
'The drumming is going great. I've been doing it for like six, seven months. I've got blisters on my hands now.'
In April director Sam Mendes revealed that all four films — called The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event — will come out in the same month, as he introduced his four leading stars.
Each of the movies will focus on one of the members of the band. According to the director, Sony's film boss Tom Rothman dubbed the films 'the first binge-able theatrical experience'.
'We're not just making one film about the Beatles — we're making four,' Mendes announced. 'Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.'
'The Beatles changed my understanding of music,' Mendes added. 'I've been trying to make a movie about them for years.'
'I'm honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,' the filmmaker shared back in 2024, as per People.
The movies are being made by Sony Pictures and Sam's Neal Street Productions company.
Mendes explained that he pitched the idea of making four films about the group last year and wowed Sony executives Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler with his plans.
The Skyfall filmmaker told Deadline earlier this year: 'We went out to Los Angeles just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it's fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm.'
'The reason Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom and Elizabeth's passion for the idea, and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way.'
Barry has risen to huge stardom in the last few years with roles in Saltburn and The Banshees of Inisherin.
It comes after Barry revealed he is 'forever grateful' to his driver Niall for taking him to rehab during a time of struggle.
The actor opened up about the special bond he shares with Niall, who got on a plane with him to make sure he got to a rehabilitation facility in England.
Barry described his current Beatles Bootcamp as an 'absolute joy' where he has been practising the 'walk and accent' of Ringo
Barry told Hollywood Authentic: 'Niall literally drove me and put me on a plane himself, came with me and brought me to the rehab in England.
'I went back to visit. It was nice to see the staff again, and for them to see the change in me.
'They were quite emotional about it. I'm forever grateful. When I say that Niall is the best, I mean it, because no one else put me on the plane, by the hand, literally got on the plane with me.'
Barry also shared his family's experience with rehab, including his mother – who died from heroin addiction 20 years ago – and his brother, who has also been in treatment.