Barry Keoghan shares ‘nervous’ Ringo Starr meeting

Barry Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr on screen
The Saltburn actor shared his tense first meeting with the icon
Director Sam Mendes will direct four Beatles films

Barry Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr in a new biopic. Credit: Imago

Barry Keoghan has shared details about a tense first meeting with Beatles icon Ringo Starr.

The Irish actor is set to play the legendary Beatles drummer in one instalment of an ambitious new four-part Beatles biopic series helmed by director Sam Mendes.

Saltburn actor Keoghan will play Starr in one stand alone movie, with other actors playing the other members of the band. These include Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon.

Each movie has the blessing of its respective Beatle and each will be released theatrically throughout 2028.

Now, during a recent visit to the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, Keoghan has shared some details about his first encounter with the Beatles’ drummer – and by the sounds of it, it was quite nail biting.

“I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo” says Barry Keoghan

Speaking to late night host Kimmel, Keoghan revealed that he recently visited Starr in order to prepare for the task of playing him on screen. He explained that he was hoping to study his mannerisms but nerves and anxiety got in the way.

“He played the drums for me. He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo,” explained Keoghan.

“When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous, like right now. But he’s like, ‘You can look at me,’” he continued.

“My job is to observe and kinda take in mannerisms and study him. I want to humanise him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”

When are the Beatles biopics released?

Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joesph Quinn will star in four movies about The Beatles Credit: Sony/John Russo

While each film is currently without a concrete release date we do know that each of Mendes’ movies will hit cinemas at some point in 2028.

This unusual, four-part release strategy is something new, but according to the the creators behind the four films, it’s needed to match the ambition of the project.

“You have to match the boldness of the idea with a bold release strategy,” explained Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman. “There hasn’t been an enterprise like this before, and you can’t think about it in traditional releasing terms.”

Elsewhere, Rothman called the four-part series “the first binge-able theatrical experience.”