4 things you need to know about Rocketman, the biopic about Elton John

Jun 25 , 2019

Actor Taron Egerton in a scene from the biopic Rocketman, in which he wore 88 different costumes while portraying English singer-songwriter Elton John. Photo: David Appleby/Paramount Pictures

Why actor Taron Egerton wears 140,000 Swarovski crystals on one costume and Rami Malek almost has cameo in biopic of English singer-songwriter Elton John’s early career

The musical biopic Rocketman, depicting the life of Elton John, is this summer’s must-see flick. Starring a solid cast including Taron Egerton and Richard Madden, the film is filled with chart-topping hits, jaw-dropping costumes and incredible acting chops.

Yet despite what you think you already know about the film, here are four little details that might have escaped your attention.

The costumes were meant to evoke the spirit of Elton John

Taron Egerton wears a Dodgers baseball uniform, covered in 140,000 Swarovski crystals, as Elton John in the biopic Rocketman. Photo: David Appleby/Paramount Pictures.

All of the 88 costumes that Egerton wears were, in a word, fabulous. So you’d be forgiven if you thought they were exact representations of actual costumes worn by the real Elton John on stage.

Julian Day, costume designer for Rocketman (and also the costume designer for Bohemian Rhapsody ), said in interviews that he wasn’t interested in creating replicas. Instead, he was more focused on creating pieces that evoked the spirit of Elton John.

“I didn’t want to replicate what we’d seen before. Not that it wasn’t fantastic – we just wanted to create our own film,” Day told CNN Style.

The closest he got to replicating a costume was the impossibly sparkly Dodger’s baseball uniform originally created by Elton John’s real-life and long-time costume designer, Bob Mackie.