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Beatles Biopics: Four Films to Star Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harry Dickinson and Joseph Quinn
Barry Keoghan is letting his hair be.
The Saltburn star debuted a new look after growing out his brown locks in preparation for his role as The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in an upcoming four-part biopic.
At the London premiere of Crime 101 on Jan. 28, Keoghan—rocking leather racing jacket from MAINS—looked so different with a mop-top haircut made famous by the "Hey Jude" musician and his bandmates.
As for who's joining the 33-year-old on Abbey Road? That'll be Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Harris Dickinson stepping into the shoes of the late John Lennon.
And for Barry, he hopes to "humanize" the iconic group in the musical epic by getting to know Ringo on a more personal level.
"I met him at his house and he played the drums for me," he shared during a May appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "It was sort of just one of those moments where you’re just in awe and you’re just frozen."
In fact, Barry was starstruck throughout the meeting.
"When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him," he admitted. "I was nervous."
Fortunately, the actor was able to come together in the end.
"He's like, 'You can look at me," Barry recalled, explaining that it was the perfect opportunity to "observe and take in little mannerisms" of Ringo for his role. "He was absolutely lovely, just sat in the garden chatting away."
Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
So, how does Ringo feel about Barry portraying him on the big screen? "I heard the guy who’s playing me was taking drum lessons," he told Entertainment Tonight in 2024, quipping, "and I asked someone to tell him not to take too many."
Directed by Sam Mendes, each movie in the multi-part project will center around one member of The Beatles.
"My life as a lad, John's life, Paul's life, George's life, I mean, it must interact in some way," Ringo explained to People last year. "There’ll be Beatles in mine around when I joined, and there’ll be Beatles in Paul’s. We’ll all be there. So, I’m excited.”
To see how other celebrities transformed themselves to play other famous figures, keep reading...
Gotham/GC Images / Fiona Adams/Redferns
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan
The Wonka star played the legendary folk singer-songwriter in the film A Complete Unknown.
Hulu; Patrick Riviere/Getty Images
Lily James as Pamela Anderson
The English actress transformed into the Baywatch icon in the Hulu series Pam & Tommy.
Hulu; Robert Knight Archive/Redferns
Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee
The actor dropped jaws after showing off his epic makeover as the Mötley Crüe rocker for the Hulu series Pam & Tommy.
Netflix; Philip Barr via ZUMA Wire
Christian Serratos as Selena Quintanilla
The actress portrayed the late Tejano star for the Netflix show Selena: The Series.
LIONSGATE/Getty Images
Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly
The Oscar winner had fans doing a double-take in Bombshell, in which she played Fox News alum who helped take down Roger Ailes' career after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
Hulu/Moviestore/Shutterstock; Everett/Shutterstock
Andra Day as Billie Holiday
The actress earned her first Golden Globe win in 2021 for her role as the iconic singer in the biopic The United States Vs. Billie Holiday.
Clubhouse Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock; David Madison/Getty Images
Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding
The Australia native produced and starred in I, Tonya, a 2017 movie based on the disgraced figure skater's life.
Paramount Pictures/Shutterstock, Michael Putland/Getty Images
Taron Egerton as Elton John
In 2019's Rocketman, the British actor played one of the most iconic musicians in the history of rock 'n' roll.
Shutterstock
Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford
The Oscar winner stepped into the shoes of the late movie legend in Feud, Ryan Murphy's FX series about the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Shutterstock
Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis
The Dead Man Walking star played the acting legend in Feud.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Fred A. Sabine/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin
The singer took on the Queen of Soul in 2021's Respect.
Focus Features/Kobal/Shutterstock; Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg
After Natalie Portman dropped out, the English actress stepped in to play the late Supreme Court Justice in On the Basis of Sex, a biopic directed by Mimi Leder.
HBO Films; Keystone Press Agency/ZUMA Wire
Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jr.
The actor played the civil rights leader opposite Bryan Cranston as President Lyndon B. Johnson in HBO's All the Way.
Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison
The Oscar-nominated actor portrayed the famed inventor of the light bulb in Current War.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Sony Pictures Classics/Shutterstock
Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams
The British actor starred as the late country singer in the 2015 film I Saw the Light.
Christian Simonpietri/Sygma/VCG via Getty Images; Jim Spellman/Getty Images
Johnny Flynn as David Bowie
The Lovesick star played the late rock legend in the 2020 biopic Stardust.
Miramax/Entertainment Pictures; /Tim Boyl/Getty Images
Parker Sawyers as Barack Obama
Parker Sawyers played the former president in Southside With You, a romantic dramedy loosely based on Barack's first date with Michelle Obama back in 1989.
Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images, © Get Lifted Film Company/Entertainment Pictures via ZUMA Press
Tika Sumpter as Michelle Obama
The actress starred as the former First Lady in Southside With You.
Getty Images, Shutterstock
Odette Annable as Trudy Cooper
"She was a groundbreaking woman, so ahead of her time," Odette told E! News of her Astronaut Wives Club character, who was an extremely skilled pilot in her own right. "It's such an honor to play her."
Shutterstock, ABC/VIVIAN ZINK
Kerry Washington as Anita Hill
The Scandal star took on the role of the aide who accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual assault in 1991 in HBO's biopic Confirmation.
Bachrach/Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc
The Oscar nominee starred in The Founder, a biopic about the founder of the McDonald's empire.
Jack Zeman/Lifetime 2014; Arista Records
YaYa DaCosta as Whitney Houston
The actress and model played the late legendary singer in a Lifetime biopic.
Getty Images
Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking
The Les Misérables heartthrob won the Oscar after portraying Hawking in Theory of Everything.
Art Rickerby/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images; Reelz Channel
Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy
In The Kennedys miniseries, the Dawson's Creek alum channeled the former First Lady and one of America's most fashionable public figures.
MGM; Bauer-Griffin
Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly
The Oscar-winning actress stepped into the regal shoes of the Hollywood legend turned princess for Grace of Monaco.
Paramount; Suzanne Tenner/Fox Searchlight
Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh
The Marvel star played Jamie Lee Curtis' famous mom in Hitchcock, which focused on the making of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Thomas Concordia/WireImage; Robert Bertoia/Getty Images
Agnes Bruckner as Anna Nicole Smith
The former Private Pactice starlet portrayed the late Playboy model in the Lifetime biopic The Anna Nicole Story.
Getty Images
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs
The That '70s Show alum played the late Apple co-founder in the indie flick Jobs.
Evening Standard/Getty Images; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt
The Aussie actor portrayed the Formula 1 race car driver in Ron Howard's biopic Rush.
Francois G. Durand/WireImage.com, Fair Game Productions
Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame Wilson
The actress starred alongside Sean Penn as the outed CIA agent in the thriller Fair Game.
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