Four of Hollywood’s most popular heartthrobs have been cast in four-part movie series about the globally beloved and respected band, The Beatles. The casting choices for the new biopics have caused a flurry of backlash, especially from die-hard Beatles fans.
Sam Mendes, who took on the project, selected Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, all of whom have been “white boy of the month” at one point or another.
While biopics are frequently targets of criticism for their casting choices, it’s unsurprising that a group as well-known as The Beatles is under fire. The casting received two main points of criticism: firstly, the four actors barely resemble the actual members of the band, and secondly, none of the actors are from Liverpool, where the members of the band are from.
Many critics have hypothesized that the actors were only cast because of their current popularity, and many would have enjoyed seeing new faces cast in the roles, especially considering the Beatles themselves were unknown before finding stardom. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog moment in Hollywood?
While, on one hand, when making a movie based on real people it is important to take into consideration how well the actor will be able to portray the figure they’re re-creating, it also seems inevitable that there will be some level of disagreement when it comes to trying to depicting such an iconic group, whose legacy has carried on throughout generations. Also, while movie creators want to do a good job artistically, they also have to take into consideration what is going to sell seats in a movie theatre. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch the beautiful Paul Mescal sing a Beatles ballad?
While I’m not sure what the solution to this issue is, maybe there’s a larger conversation at hand. This discussion is not unique to this film, but has been a topic of conversation in relation to other films as well.
Similarly, the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte directed by Emerald Fennell, has cast Jacob Elordi as the character of Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as the character of Catherine. While a main controversy has arisen regarding the character of Heathcliff being described as dark-skinned in the book, which Elordi is not, many are upset over the fact that these two actors have what is called “Iphone face.” This term refers to actors having faces that are too modern and glossy to play characters in period pieces.
While people may be especially passionate about film adaptations when it comes to casting, there seems to be a general push against using A-list actors who sell tickets solely because they’re attractive.
Maybe in the coming years Hollywood will respond to the backlash and start making an effort to diversify who they’re casting in feature films. But until then, may the biopic casting backlash cycle continue.