Rocketman Director Dexter Fletcher On The Toughest Scene in The Elton John Biopic

DEXTER FLETCHER: I lost sleep over all of them, quite honestly. They were all quite daunting. The physically challenging part for ‘Rocket Man’ was having Taron [Egerton] drop to the bottom of the swimming pool and hoping that he wouldn’t drown because it was an incredible feat of self-control by him. But all of it, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’ (above), which was a big long continuous shot — involving 300 extras, 50 dancers, and 12 weeks of prep — was very difficult. I wish I can tell you that one set-piece was harder than the other, but they were all very difficult, to be honest.

If he did feel self-conscious about it, he never mention it to me. Taron embraced the side of dressing up because he found how empowering that can be. I think that was what Elton discovered early on in his career: if you wear these costumes, they can be a suit of armour where you can hide behind that. It gives him confidence, a self-possessed persona that really allows him to express himself. Elton, in our film, becomes someone he doesn’t always believe himself to be and that’s the duality of what the film is looking at. He sets out as this shy boy and embarks on this big, long journey to become a world icon.

I think musicals are having their moments again because the incredible TV dramas — produced by Netflix, Amazon, and BBC — have made it a great experience for your family and friends to have at home. My personal feeling is that the musical is having its moment again because they give people a chance to get out and have a collective experience at the cinema with music you know and are familiar with, to give you that spine-tingling moment when someone starts to sing. A great tune is a great tune that crosses all boundaries, all ages. If you love the music, you know what you’re going to get when you go to an Elton John musical. I think that’s a good thing. You go to any ancient civilisation, the biggest building and the most central place is the theatre. I think the musical will stand the test of time. At least, I hope so.

[To act and direct] is a fun idea but it’s not something I want to tackle yet. My voice appears briefly on the radio [in Rocketman] but only because there was no one else to do it. I enjoy working with the actors and watching them, but I’m not ready yet to direct myself. Maybe after two or three movies.

Rocketman (R21) is now in cinemas. Yesterday opens Aug 8, while Blinded by the Light hits the big screen Aug 15.

Photos: UIP