Rock
Paul McCartney jokes about his 'height hang‑up' in Beatles films
Paul McCartney says he’s long been bothered that actors playing him in Beatles films are often portrayed as shorter than those cast as John Lennon.
Sir Paul McCartney has admitted he still has a “thing” about how his height is depicted in Beatles films, revealing that actors playing him are frequently smaller than the actors portraying John Lennon - despite the pair being roughly the same height in real life.
Speaking on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, McCartney said the issue first struck him while watching the 2009 film Nowhere Boy, which focuses on Lennon’s teenage years. In the movie, Lennon is played by Aaron Taylor‑Johnson, while McCartney is portrayed by Thomas Brodie‑Sangster. McCartney said the height difference on screen didn’t match reality.
He explained: “We were all the same height and Ringo was a bit smaller." He added that his character appears “wimpy, smaller than John” and even gets knocked to the floor.
Macca said of his communications with the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson: “And it’s like, Sam, this is not true."
Taylor‑Johnson later told him: “This is a movie. It’s not a documentary,” a response McCartney joked he “didn’t like”, but accepted because the film was already finished.
He laughed: “There was I, a little Paul, and John the great big hero."
McCartney said the pattern has continued into Sam Mendes’ upcoming four‑part Beatles film anthology, The Beatles – A Four‑Film Cinematic Event. Paul Mescal, who plays McCartney, is shorter than Harris Dickinson, who plays Lennon. McCartney said he has already warned Mendes about his height hang‑up and joked that he has “no idea” how the director plans to solve it.
