Sir Elton John was very "moved" by Taron Egerton’s portrayal of him in ‘Rocketman’.
The music legend was in attendance at the screening of the biopic at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (16.05.19) and was so "blown away" by seeing his story told on the big screen he couldn’t help but shed a few tears.
Speaking after the screening, he said: "I never thought in my 73rd year that I’d be sitting here in Cannes with my own movie coming out; to be honest with you I was blown away. I cried the first time I saw it and I cried a lot this time."
And although there are "dark moments" in the film – which documents his rise from humble beginnings to the top of the charts in the 1970s – the 72-year-old singer insists it is "lifted out of the darkness" by its music.
And Elton insists he is "very proud" of Taron, 29, for his incredible performance as him on screen and his willingness to sing his hits for the movie.
He said: "There are some very, very dark moments in the movie but the music lifts it out of the darkness and not only did he have to perform my life he had to sing my life and that’s a double whammy.
"When I look at him singing and when I look at him acting, I’m not looking at Taron Egerton, I’m looking at me and so that’s what moves me it’s like ‘This is me here.’ I’m very, very proud of this movie, I’m proud of my life, I’m proud of him [Taron]."
The ‘Tiny Dancer’ hitmaker went on to hail Taron as a "special" talent and person and he thinks he is "just as good" at performing his songs in the film as he is.
Elton said: "I knew Taron could sing and as soon as I met him I felt that there was something special there. When I heard him sing ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ I was flabbergasted. I thought, ‘God this so difficult to sing, this is just as good as my version really.’ "
Sir Elton John ‘moved’ by Rocketman biopic
