Nowhere Boy

STARRING Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff
WRITTEN BY Matt Greenhalgh
DIRECTED BY Sam Taylor-Wood

Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson plays John Lennon in the 1950s-set film, which follows the young singer’s often troubled relationships with the mother who abandoned him (Anne-Marie Duff) and the aunt who raised him (Kristin Scott Thomas). While Nowhere Boy depicts the origins of the Quarrymen — Lennon’s pre-Beatles band, which featured Paul McCartney and George Harrison — Johnson says the movie is ”not really about how the Beatles formed. It’s about someone trying to bring together these two women who meant so much to him.”

Johnson, 20, spent months researching Lennon and learning how to play guitar for Nowhere Boy, the first feature from British photographer and conceptual artist Sam Taylor-Wood, 43. The actor’s portrayal won the approval of Yoko Ono, who allowed her late husband’s song ”Mother” to be used in the movie. ”She’s a wonderful woman, and she’s been very supportive of the film,” says Johnson.