Harris Dickinson: Playing John Lennon felt 'frightening'
Harris Dickinson has admitted the idea of playing John Lennon is "frightening" because he is so iconic.
Harris Dickinson has admitted the idea of playing John Lennon is "frightening".
The 29-year-old actor will star alongside Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, and Joseph Quinn in Sir Sam Mendes' upcoming four-part movie series on the Fab Four and he was a "little" reticient to take on the role of the late singer - who was shot dead in 1980 aged 40 - because playing such a global icon was a daunting prospect.
He told the Sunday Times' Culture magazine: “It felt frightening because of the magnitude of the character — this icon. There’s always a fear, but the fear around the exposure that will come with it didn’t creep in too much because it is a privilege that I get to do this every day.”
Harris' family are very excited by the role but try not to show it too much.
He said: "My dad’s a northerner, from near Liverpool, so he was very impressed.
“And Mum just can’t quite believe it.
"But it’s funny, my family has this amazing ability to move on very quickly. The other day I put in the family group chat that I’d met Paul [McCartney]. One person said, ‘Wow!’ And then they moved on to send photos of [my nieces and nephews] in a park.”
The Babygirl actor admitted he is not allowed to say much about the movies and "obviously" couldn't talk about the script at all.
He said: “I’ve probably already said too much.”
But Harris did reveal there is "of course" a WhatsApp group for him and his three cast mates but refused to reveal its name.
He said: “You don’t want to know.”
Lennon's old friend Tony King confirmed to the publication Harris had been to see him for advice and he suggested the actor should "establish a 'now' version" of his pal "like Austin Butler did with Elvis".
Harris agreed: “Do it like Austin.”
He confirmed he is "like" Lennon in that he isn't a good drinker, but when King said the Imagine singer could be unpleasant, the Triangle of Sadness insisted he isn't the same.
He said: “That’s not like me. I’m just a wimp.”
The actor is still not sure how he will tackle the role.
Asked how he will play Lennon, he said: "I actually don’t know.”
