He may be all about peace and love but Sir Ringo Starr will tell you straight if you get the facts of his life wrong – especially if you’re making a movie about him.
That’s just what happened to acclaimed director, Sam Mendes, as the former Beatles drummer recalled in a recent interview with the New York Times.
The 59-year-old filmmaker, responsible for hits such as American Beauty and 1917, is working on four separate movies about each member of the iconic band, and Ringo has revealed that he’s been closely involved in the creative process, offering insights into his life and relationship with first wife, Maureen.
“He had a writer — very good writer, great reputation, and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with Maureen and I,” he said per the newspaper.
“That’s not how we were.
“I’d say, ‘We would never do that.'”
However, Ringo still supports Mendes’ vision and trusts the director’s process, although he’s not sure if Mendes can deliver on his promise and finish the project by 2028.
“But he’ll do what he’s doing,” Ringo added.
“And I’ll send him peace and love.”
Ringo will be played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan, alongside Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and fellow Irishman, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney.
In a previous interview, Ringo admitted he was curious to see how Mendes would approach the project, saying it was “madness” to make four movies at the same time.
“My life as a lad, John’s life, Paul’s life, George’s life, I mean, it must interact in some way,” he said via People magazine.
“There’ll be Beatles in mine around when I joined, and there’ll be Beatles in Paul’s. We’ll all be there. So I’m excited to see what he does with it.”
Ringo was not an original member of the band and was hired to replace previous drummer Pete Best in 1962 following the band’s first recording session. His dynamic drumming style, which emphasised feel over virtuosity, influenced many drummers still to this day.
When Mendes first announced plans to make the Beatles movies in 2024, the news was met with excitement from fans and media outlets alike.
Talking to Dateline at the time, Mendes described the buzz around the idea for the four-movie project among movie industry heads in Hollywood.
“We went out to Los Angeles just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it’s fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm,” Mendes said.
However, Mendes and his team accepted an offer from Sony after studio heads promised to propel the films “theatrically in an innovative and exciting way.”
Read more: Beatles legend Ringo Starr proves age is just a number as he prepares for milestone birthday
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