There are a bunch of paparazzi photos circulating the internet of the four actors playing The Beatles in Sam Mendes’ The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is still quite a way away from hitting movie screens in 2028. The movies have been filming for a few months now (and are expected to be filming for quite a few more), and recently the faux Fab Four–Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr were snapped by photogs while filming the iconic Abbey Road cover photoshoot. The internet’s response to how they look has been harsh.
‘They Look Absolutely Ridiculous’
The cover of Abbey Road is one of the most iconic album covers of all time, so of course it had to be a part of the movie. In the photo, the four Beatles are crossing the street at a zebra crossing. Lennon is leading the way with a bushy beard and wearing a white suit; Starr follows him in a black suit. Then comes McCartney in a grey suit and no shoes, and trailing behind is Harrison in all denim. I’m not going to get into the fan lore that played into the “Paul is dead” theory, but everyone knows the photo.
In the paparazzi photo, the actors are dressed as The Beatles were that day, and, to be honest, they do look pretty ridiculous. Fans were quick to take to Reddit and talk smack:
- “Every in-costume/makeup photo I see from these films just looks worse and worse.” - u/Long_Emergency6122
- “They look ridiculous.” - u/ShameSuperb7099
- “Looks like an SNL skit” - u/AZmoneyfolder
- “John and George look so bad.” - u/shlict
- “What a fucking disgrace to the Beatles, who all were working-class blokes from Liverpool. None of that DNA shows through these photos.” - u/SouthIsland48
- I hope Lennon’s beard is touched up in post-production. Bc this is looking very….something… - u/MachoLibre_
- “Those wigs are terrible! I'm sure you can make a better fake hair than that... they don't care?” - u/Solarhistorico
I completely understand where these fans are coming from. Looking at these photos, I have many of the same thoughts. However, I’m not worried about it, for two reasons. One, these are taken by a photographer who is likely more than a hundred yards away or more, outside of the production area. That means a long lens and iffy photograph quality. Sure, we’ve come a long way in technology, but it’s still photos from some distance away.
The other reason I’m not concerned is that it's highly unlikely the hair and makeup will look this fake in the final product. Obviously, film hair and makeup relies on some movie magic and trickery, and until we see what these beards and wigs look like in the final, edited product, it's unfair to make assumptions. Greig Fraser is the cinematographer on the films, and he’s an Oscar winner and has shot movies like Dune and Project Hail Mary. Naomi Donne is in charge of hair and makeup, and she’s been nominated for three Oscars (1917, Cruella, and The Batman). Not to mention Sam Mendes running the show.
I think it’s fair to let these folks do what they do and judge them by what’s on the screen, not by a paparazzi photo of the production. I personally can't wait.
