Zak Starkey says Barry Keoghan “doesn’t look anything” like Ringo Starr amid The Beatles biopic casting
Zak Starkey has claimed Irish actor Barry Keoghan doesn’t resemble his father, Ringo Starr, who Keoghan will be playing in Sam Mendes’ upcoming biopics on The Beatles.
Currently, Keoghan is preparing to play Starr ahead of filming starting on the series of films later this summer. He is joined in Beatles BootCamp by Paul Mescal, who is playing Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn, who is portraying George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson, who has been cast to play John Lennon. All four movies are scheduled to be released simultaneously in April 2028.
“Get a big rubber nose,” Starkey said to NME when asked for any advice for Keoghan, who is set to play his father on screen. “I don’t know what else to say. He doesn’t look anything like my dad, does he? You can fix anything, can’t you? You can certainly give someone a big rubber nose,” he added.
The former Who drummer then explained the key ingredient his father brought to The Beatles, aside from his percussive work, adding, “The thing about my dad is his personality. He sold the Beatles to America, he’s the one with the charisma. Pulling that off will be hard. He’s just himself.”
Starkey’s comments come after Julia Baird, Lennon’s sister, criticising Mendes for not selecting Liverpudlian actors for the films.
She shared: “There are more actors out there waiting for a go, and for a chance. It will be interesting to see what kind of accent he comes up with, because nobody can do a Liverpool accent. They all get it wrong.”
Talking to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet for Hurry Up Tomorrow last month, Keoghan discussed his admiration for the drummer, stating, “I’m looking for the little nuances, without making him feel that I’m observing for that reason.”
Keoghan has also already met with Starr ahead of filming. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he revealed, “When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous, like right now. But he’s like, ‘You can look at me’. My job is to observe and kinda take in mannerisms and study him. I want to humanise him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”
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