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Proud Dad Elton John Has Been Spamming Taron Egerton with Rocketman Reviews

“It’s the same title every time,” Egerton told Jimmy Kimmel. “‘And another one.’”

May 29, 2019

Elton John may already be a father of two, but it seems that Rocketman has made him a proud dad all over again to a third son: Taron Egerton, who plays John in the glittery biopic. According to the actor, the legendary singer won’t stop spamming his email with reviews of Egerton’s performance in the film.

“I try and avoid reviews,” Egerton told Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night, “but Elton sends me them every day.” According to Egerton, they always carry the same subject line: “And another one.”

It’s not surprising that in promoting a biopic by Elton John and about Elton John, Egerton would lean into their friendship as a selling point—and indeed, he has been consistently beating that drum during the film’s promotional tour. Then again, given the generally positive reviews that have emerged since the film’s premiere at Cannes, it appears there will be more to enjoy in this film than a solid impersonation of a music legend.

Egerton noted that when he began digging into his role, John already knew what his greatest musical challenge would be: “Elton said at the start of the process, ‘You’re a ballad singer; you can hold a tune. The rock stuff will be what tests you.’” And Egerton admitted that he was “dreadful” at the more gravelly songs in the beginning. But by the end, when he had to sing “Pinball Wizard,” he got a crucial seal of approval. The actor said he emailed John a rough mix of him performing the song after a few drinks—and got an email back saying, “You’ve got it now.” When asked if John might have simply been being nice, Egerton replied, “Elton’s very supportive. He’s not always nice, but he’s very supportive. He’s the best.”

Before Kimmel let his guest go, he couldn’t help but ask if Egerton had stayed at Elton John’s house—which the actor said he had. “It’s big,” he said. “The guest room that I stayed in is known as, it’s like the cat room, and it’s just full of ornamental cats. Which for some people is really nice. I like cats! But for some people, it wouldn’t be what you wanted, would it? But it’s very lovely; it smells fantastic.” Kimmel also asked if Elton John has a huge piano in the middle of his palatial home, which, of course, he does. But Egerton said there’s a catch. “So there’s a huge piano—but you can’t play it ’cause it’s covered in things like ornamental cats.”

Laura Bradley