Jimmy Kimmel had a lot of questions about Elton John for Taron Egerton, who has become quite close with the singer after portraying him in his biopic, “Rocketman.” Kimmel asked Egerton everything from what Elton’s house is like, whether or not he will be in John’s will and even what his email address is.
Thankfully, Egerton was very eager to dish about John, including sharing a note that John sent him on the day the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
“Elton’s very supportive. He’s not always nice, but he’s very supportive,” Egerton told Kimmel on his Tuesday show. “I love him. He wrote me a very beautiful note on the day of the Cannes premiere. He said, ‘We’re cut from the same cloth. And I hope I’m here for many years to be your touchstone.’”
It wasn’t the first time John and Egerton had emailed each another. John was very closely involved in the filmmaking and chose Egerton for the role, who did all of his own singing in the film. One piece of advice Egerton received from John was that while he was a natural ballad singer, he would have to find the grit and grime in his voice in order to handle rockers like “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” and “Bennie and the Jets.”
“I emailed him a rough mix after a few drinks, and he said, ‘You’ve got it,’” Egerton said. “I try to avoid reviews, but Elton sends me them every day. I’m sure he’s vetting my reviews. I’m sure there’s bad ones. But it’s the same title every time: ‘And another one.’”
And since Kimmel asked, yes Elton John’s house is very, very big. Egerton said that he stayed in a guest room known as the “Cat Room,” which is filled with ornamental cats.
“It smells fantastic. It does not smell like cats. I think that’s the beauty of the ornamental ones,” Egerton said. “There is a piano, but you can’t play it, because it’s covered in things like ornamental cats.”
“Rocketman” opens in theaters Friday. Watch Egerton’s interview with Kimmel above.