Zak Starkey offers advice to Barry Keoghan on playing his dad Ringo Starr: ‘Get a big rubber nose’

Barry Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopics, and Ringo’s son, drummer Zak Starkey, has some thoughts about the casting.

When asked by NME if he had any advice on how to play Ringo, Starkey shared, “Get a big rubber nose. I don’t know what else to say. He doesn’t look anything like my dad, does he? You can fix anything, can’t you? You can certainly give someone a big rubber nose.”

Besides the looks, Starkey shares, “The thing about my dad is his personality. He sold The Beatles to America, he’s the one with the charisma. Pulling that off will be hard. He’s just himself.”

Starkey thinks another big challenge for Keoghan will be be mimicking Ringo on the drums.

“That’s f****** impossible. Nobody can play like my dad,” he says. “Good luck to him, but he’ll be the first guy who can pull it off.”

“My dad’s unique – the greatest rock ’n’ roll drummer in the world, still,” he adds. “He’s better now than he was then.”

All four Beatles pictures, titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, will be released in April 2028. In addition to Keoghan, the film stars Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of band members and their legendary catalog of music.

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