Barry Keoghan shares his experience meeting Ringo Starr: ‘I couldn’t look at him’

Barry Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ four films about The Beatles and the actor revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he’s met the legendary rock drummer, sharing that he was “absolutely lovely.”

“I met Ringo the other day. I met him at his house, and he played the drums for me,” the Saltburn star said. “He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.”

Keoghan, who said he’s been learning the drums for the role, opened up about the nerves he experienced during the visit.

“You know just one of those moments where you’re just in awe and you just froze,” he said. “And 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.'”

As for how he’s approaching the role, Keoghan shared, “My job is to observe and take in kinda mannerisms and study him,” noting, “I want to humanize him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”

Mendes’ Beatles films, titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, will be released in April 2028. In addition to Keoghan they’ll star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

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