Midas Man, a biopic on the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, is now on Amazon Prime
Actors portraying Liverpool’s famous sons The Beatles in a new film have shared their secret to how they transformed into the Fab Four on set. Today, a new biopic following the life, career and legacy of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, was officially released on Amazon Prime.
Written by Brigit Grant and directed by Joe Stephenson, Midas Man, set in Liverpool, sees Jacob Fortune-Lloyd star in the lead role as manager Epstein – the mastermind behind The Beatles’ meteoric rise. The Liverpool visionary, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 1967, played a key role in the city’s music scene and also managed artists such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black and Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.
The film is called Midas Man because “everything Brian touched turned to gold – but for other people, not for himself” and the plot follows the music manager navigating a whirlwind of unprecedented fame, cultural revolution and personal demons. Although his sexuality was not publicly known until after his death, it was an open secret among Epstein’s friends.
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Ahead of the film’s premiere at FACT Liverpool on October 29, the ECHO got to meet the cast, including the four actors portraying global superstars The Beatles. In the new film, we see Jonah Lees as John Lennon, Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney, Leo Harvey-Elledge as George Harrison and Campbell Wallace as Ringo Starr.
Earlier this week in The Cavern Club on Mathew Street, they shared their key to transforming into character and capturing the essence of The Beatles. Jonah Lees, who already bears a resemblance to John Lennon, said he has been told he looks like the late singer “since he was a child.”
However he said the key to transforming into a Beatle is to not rely on “doing an impression.” Jonah told the ECHO: “I was a huge fan and I’m an even bigger fan now. We dove into the research so much and if we weren’t fans it would have been a nightmare – but I just loved it.
“The more I saw the more I thought, these guys are genius. That’s why it’s amazing to be here in Liverpool where it all happened and the energy is still here and the love for them is still here.
“We’re playing real people, so you’re going to want to look at the movement, physicality, mannerisms, tone of voice – you’re going to want to look at all of that. I’d say the difference between an actor playing a role and an impressionist is that the impressionist is taking best bits, all smashed together, but an actor is finding the soul of how did John make me feel.
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“We had to bring our heart and our soul into the characters. Any time you play any character real or not you have to relate to them so I think that stops it from being an impression hopefully and into something which is just a heartfelt portrayal of us stepping into shoes of people we admire.”
Leo Harvey-Elledge, who played George Harrison, said the cast spent trime researching the Fab Four which enabled them to get to know their roles so well. He added: “Definitely, some of my lines in the film were things George has actually said.
“But it’s when it’s things you’ve never heard him say before – you’ve just got to be in the scene rather than focusing on the character too much. It’s that distinction between impressionism and acting and we were kind of toeing that line the whole time.”
In Midas Man, we are transported back to 1960s Liverpool in a film set built to be The Cavern Club. But the actors said they all made memories filming in the city, visiting famous landmarks and taking breaks around the docks.
Ringo Starr actor Campbell Wallace, originally from Crosby, was cast in the role during his university degree. He told the ECHO: “It was a massive privilege.
“I don’t mean to sound pretentious when I say it, but we wanted to be The Beatles when they’re off camera, when they’re not in the studio – who where they to each other and not just what they say.
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“Obviously their voices are iconic, but why are they saying the things they are? What is their environment? Even if certain lines feel like I’ve heard that before or feels familiar, it was just our interpretation of who these people might have been and I hope that comes across in the film.”
Blake Richardson, who stars in Midas Man as Paul McCartney, said it was “an honour” to play one of The Beatles and be part of bringing Brian Epstein’s story to the forefront. He told the ECHO: “I love this city. You can feel the energy of what’s been made and what’s come out of here.
“After filming and things like that, we’d just go sit on the docks and just have a chat and talk life like normal lads – they were the moments that kept us so close and bonded us so when we did go into filming we did feel really close and together. We’re huge fans of The Beatles and I think the story of Brian is an amazing story.
“To be a part of that and play these legends and geniuses – it’s an honour and its beautiful.”
Midas Man is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The biopic also stars Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Ed Speleers, Blake Richardson, Jonah Lees, Leo Harvey-Elledge, Campbell Wallace, Adam Lawrence and Eddie Suzy Izzard.
