Taron Egerton reveals how Rocketman inspired him to evolve in his career. Released in May of 2019, the Elton John biopic starred Egerton as the Rocket Man himself. The film grossed a total of $195.2 million worldwide, and was immensely well-received by fans and critics alike. Rocketman would go on to win Egerton a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, and the film won an Oscar for Best Original Song (John's "(I'm Gonna) Love me Again").
The film was directed by Dexter Fletcher, who notably directed the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was removed from the project. Fletcher also directed the 2015 biopic Eddie the Eagle, which starred Egerton in the leading role of British skier Michael Edwards. Rocketman was the second film directed by Fletcher to also star Egerton, so the two had a close working relationship going into the musical drama. The experience on Rocketman had a massive impact on Egerton and his future career choices.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Egerton details how Rocketman encouraged him to look at other roles in the film industry aside from acting. Egerton says that it was because of his relationship with Fletcher that he was able to be involved in Rocketman's directing, editing, and music design. Egerton admits that he found himself enjoying a behind-the-scenes role, and sparked his interest in the filmmaking side as opposed to the acting side. It was then that Egerton asked if he would be able to be added to the film as a producer, and Egerton admits that he was surprised when the answer was yes. Read Egerton's full comment below:
"When I [did] Rocket Man, because of the musical elements of it, I had been involved with lots of elements of the storytelling that weren't just about the acting. I had a close relationship with the director - it wasn't our first project - so I'd been popping into the edit to see how things were going. And I'd enjoyed those conversations; I'd enjoyed being in the studio and learning about how the music was going to fit into the film and all the rest of it.
By the time this came around, I knew that I was interested in filmmaking conversations as well as acting ones. So, I just asked them if I could be a producer, and if they would welcome my input in that way. And they, very surprisingly and kindly, said yes. That's how it happened to me."
While Rocketman was Egerton's first foray into producing, it certainly wouldn't be his last. In the upcoming crime drama miniseries Black Bird, Egerton not only plays the starring tole of James Keene, but is also an executive producer on the show. Similarly to Rocketman and Eddie the Eagle, Black Bird is an autobiographical drama series that follows Keene as he is tasked with getting a suspected serial killer to confess to his crimes.
Black Bird will be Egerton's first live-action role since Rocketman, and his first executive producer credit. While the pandemic slowed the film industry for the past few years, it seems that the time away hasn't effected Egerton's drive and desire to explore producing and filmmaking. Black Bird will premiere on Apple TV+ on July 8, 2022 - and viewers will have Rocketman to thank for Egerton's producing involvement.