Elton John's husband producer David Furnish has said that the veteran singer advised actor Taron Egerton not to attempt a strict impersonation in his biopic.
The Kingsman star will play the Grammy-winning singer in his biopic Rocketman, which starts shooting in a few months.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Furnish said, "Elton has told Taron, 'Don't copy me. Don't think you have to sing it exactly the way that I sang it. Don't think you have to perform it the way I performed it'. I think it's the challenge for the actor to embody the spirit and not get into thinking they have to do an impersonation."
Egerton recently recorded three songs at London's historic Abbey Road Studios for the film and Furnish said when John heard them he was beyond impressed.
"... He was blown away, really blown away. Elton was like, 'It can't get any better for me'," he added.
Interestingly, Egerton has already performed a John classic, "I'm still standing" in a 2016's animated movie Sing.
John's biopic will trace the musician's early days in showbiz through his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in the 1990s.
"The rehab recovery moment was a real watershed moment in his life, and it's a great way to focus the storytelling around that," Furnish said.
