Justin Timberlake was being considered to play Elton John in Rocketman, it has been revealed.
Taron Egerton eventually took the role of the iconic musician, but he wasn’t the only name in the running for the part.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, John’s husband and Rocketman producer David Furnish said Timberlake was the first person the star thought of when first beginning work on the movie.
The former N’Sync singer had previously portrayed John in the music video for ‘This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore’ in 2001. However, the movie was never discussed with Timberlake. “We never formally approached Justin because we weren’t ever at a stage where it was the right time to approach him,” Furnish explained.
“But he did an amazing job in the video. He put on a prosthetic nose, and it turned out to have been some really interesting acting as well.”
Timberlake has previously appeared in movies including The Social Network, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Friends With Benefits.
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Meanwhile, John has explained that he found it “difficult” to watch Rocketman because the film doesn’t gloss over some of the darker moments of his life. The movie follows the musician on his journey to becoming a world-renowned pop star, showing his struggles with addiction, mental illness, and his sexuality in his younger years.
The star also praised Egerton’s singing in the film, saying his performances “blew his mind”. “What he’s done is quite extraordinary because he sounds like me, but he also sounds like Taron,” he said.