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'Don't do this!': Paul McCartney texted Sam Mendes after Paul Mescal was made shorter than John Lennon actor

Paul McCartney, who has joked he texted Sam Mendes "don't do this!" over biopics repeatedly depicting him as shorter than John Lennon, on a Liverpool tour bus in July.
Paul McCartney, who has joked he texted Sam Mendes "don't do this!" over biopics repeatedly depicting him as shorter than John Lennon, on a Liverpool tour bus in July.

Paul McCartney, 84, has revealed he has long had a "thing" about being portrayed as smaller than John Lennon on screen, despite the two being the same height in real life. He admitted texting director Sam Mendes in alarm after seeing an Abbey Road crossing still from the upcoming four-film Beatles biopic. Mendes reassured him the difference was "just the stride pattern" and sent a second image showing the actors equal in height. The films, starring Paul Mescal as McCartney and Harris Dickinson as Lennon, are slated for release in 2028.

McCartney said the problem started with Sam Taylor-Johnson's 2009 film 'Nowhere Boy', where his character was "wimpy, smaller than John" and was "knocked to the floor".

The director's only defence at the time was "this is a movie, not a documentary" — an explanation McCartney said he did not like.

Mescal stands five-foot-eleven, the same height as McCartney himself, while Dickinson is six-foot-two.

MoreThe TelegraphMcCartney: I begged Beatles director not to make Lennon taller than meBBC News - EnglandPaul McCartney's plea over Beatles films: Don't make me 'little Paul'The Spokesman-ReviewPaul McCartney reveals his bone to pick with upcoming Beatles biopics - The Spokesman-ReviewGuitar PlayerPaul McCartney warned Beatles biopics director over one detail — “I told him, ‘Don’t do this’” - Guitar PlayerVarietyPaul McCartney Calls Out Beatles Movies Because Paul Mescal Is Shorter Than John Lennon Actor; He Texted Director Sam Mendes: ‘Don’t Do This!’ - VarietyIrish IndependentPaul McCartney reveals his one complaint about Paul Mescal playing him in Beatles biopic
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