Asa Butterfield admits that he lost out on George Harrison role in Beatles biopics
Sex Education star Asa Butterfield has revealed that he auditioned for the role of George Harrison in the upcoming Beatles biopics, written and directed by Sam Mendes.
The 29-year-old shared the news in a new interview with The Times, where he admitted, “I did audition for George Harrison”.
Of course, Butterfield never made it through the auditioning process; instead, Stranger Things and Gladiator 2 star Joseph Quinn was ultimately cast as Harrison.
Butterfield wasn’t even sure if he was shortlisted for the role. When asked by the interviewer, he shared, “Who knows? I play bass, which was Paul’s instrument.”
He followed this up with the candid comment, “There are roles that you really, really want… But I find something else comes up, and you do another job which you wouldn’t have been able to do.”
Butterfield has traversed this terrain before; the young star Butterfield was in the running to play Spider-Man in the third reboot of the franchise, but Tom Holland ultimately landed the role.
With this in mind, Butterfield admitted, “I’m pretty good at moving on. You have your audition, and after that, it’s out of your hands. If you’re not the right person, there’s nothing you could have done differently. Sometimes it’s easier than others.”
Had Butterfield landed the role, he would be rubbing shoulders with the rich and the famous; Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Hamnet’s Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, and Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr.
Alongside the star-studded fab four, Aimee Lou Wood, Saoirse Ronan, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and Anna Sawai will play Pattie Boyd, Linda McCartney, Maureen Starkey, and Yoko Ono, respectively.
Keoghan recently provided an update on the filming, sharing with SiriusXM, “I’m having an absolute fucking brilliant time and elevating my craft and, you know, making brothers as well on set.”
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