Actor Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in the musical biopic Rocketman, says the film gives a true account of the music legend's life without shying away from uncomfortable chapters of his story.
Egerton, who stars in the Dexter Fletcher-directed film alongside Richard Madden, Jamie Bell and Bryce Dallas Howard, said when they were making the film, they knew that John would be happy with what they were trying to show in it.
"I always felt, very keenly, that it's no secret that Elton has his ups and downs. And for me, what was most important was that we were true to that because that's who he is - and, frankly, that's why we love him," Egerton said in a statement.
"So, I felt very much when we were on set that I wanted to push it, because I knew the one person who wouldn't mind me doing that was Elton, because he's not precious. He knows where his strengths and weaknesses lie and he's very at peace with who he is. And he's been through a hell of a lot. He's been through recovery. He is settled and solid and knows who he is and he's frank and candid about it," he added.
Egerton said he wanted to explore the duality of John's personality where he is both generous and destructive at the same time. "I always wanted it to be that duality between this sweet, incredibly caring and generous person who just has this intense artistic sensibility and volatility. I believe that that is hand in hand with his creative genius. To not honour it felt incorrect," the actor said.
The film features a much-talked about love scene between the characters of John and John Reid (played by Madden), and Egerton said he is really proud of it.
"I'm a straight actor playing a gay icon, so I felt very keenly that if I was going to do this properly, we had an obligation to honour that side of his story. Early in the film, there is a love scene between me and Richard. I'm very proud of it.
"It's the first love scene I've ever done and it's two young guys falling in love at a time where it wasn't that socially acceptable. It's a scene I'm really, really proud of. I think it's lovely, actually," the actor said.
Rocketman, a Paramount Pictures movie, will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. The film releases on May 31.
