Paul McCartney pokes at actors' heights in planned Beatles films
MANILA, Philippines — Singer-songwriter Paul McCartney has a bone to pick with Sam Mendes, director of "The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event" coming out in 2028.
The former Beatles member sat down with actress-comedian Amy Poehler for the latter's "Good Hang" podcast, where he discussed how his height was portrayed on film.
"We were all the same height!" McCartney said. "We were all the same height, and Ringo was a bit smaller. And if you look at photos, we're all the same height.
Indeed, McCartney was roughly as tall as late members John Lennon and George Harrison, while Ringo Starr — who joined the band later — was some two or three inches shorter than the three.
Height portrayal became an issue in the 2009 movie "Nowhere Boy" by Sam Taylor-Johnson. The movie was about Lennon's teenage years and stars the director's future husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Lennon, while McCartney was played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
McCartney criticized how Brodie-Sangster's portrayal of him was "wimpy" and smaller than Lennon (who was born two years before McCartney). The Beatles member even messaged the filmmaker: "Sam, this is not true!"
The filmmaker explained to the singer that "Nowhere Boy" was a movie, not a documentary. McCartney understood but disagreed with the explanation, still calling the director a good friend.
Now the issue is being revived for the four-part films by Mendes, with each entry focusing on a specific member of the Beatles.
For the upcoming movies, Paul Mescal will play McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play Lennon, Joseph Quinn will play Harrison, and Barry Keoghan will play Starr.
McCartney pointed out to Poehler that Mescal is shorter than Dickinson, prompting him to send Mendes a message.
Mendes sent the singer a picture on the set of the famous Abbey Road crossing and the height difference between Mescal and Dickinson is quite noticeable.
"I texted him: 'Sam! Smaller? Don't do this! You said you wouldn't do it,'" McCartney shared.
The director later explained that the actors' strides were making their heights look different, and sent another picture where both were the same height.
"The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event" is in the middle of production and all four movies will simultaneously release in April 2028. — Video from the Good Hang with Amy Poehler YouTube channel
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