Elton John and Taron Egerton perform amazing duet after the Rocketman premiere

The film is about Elton John

Elton John and Taron Egerton
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 17th May 2019
Last updated 20th May 2019

Celebrities from the world of music and film attended the premiere of the brand new film Rocketman recently at Cannes Film Festival, and were treated to an amazing performance from Elton John and actor Taron Egerton, after seeing the film. The new movie follows the life of the iconic musician Elton John, who gave us hits such as 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', 'Your Song' and of course, 'Rocket Man'.

It is already known that Taron is a talented actor, but he is also an incredible singer, singing the parts in the film in which he plays the lead role. His talents were shown off even more during the duet with Elton on the beach, near the location of the world famous film festival, where they performed 'Rocketman' for onlookers. The duet was shared online by the official Rocketman account.

The Rocketman film was first announced back in 2012, and has been developed by Elton himself. The movie is about Elton John's life with the official synopsis saying, 'Based on a true fantasy, Rocketman is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John.'

Richard Madden also stars in the film as Elton’s first manager, whilst Jamie Bell plays Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin.

See who else is in the cast of Rocketman

Taron Egerton as Elton John

Welsh actor Taron Egerton will be playing Elton John in the film about his life. Luckily, Taron is already an accomplished singer, so didn't need a lot of coaching on that aspect of taking on the role.


He's best known for his role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in both Kingsman and its sequel, The Golden Circle. He also had a role in Legend opposite Tom Hardy, and played the titular character in Eddie the Eagle opposite Hugh Jackman.

Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin

Jamie Bell is starring in the film as Bernie Taupin, Elton's songwriting partner. After meeting in 1967, the pair have now worked together on more than 30 albums.


Of course, film fans will recognise Jamie as the titular role in Billy Elliot, a film he starred in at the age of just 13. He also starred in 2005's King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin and Fantastic Four.

Richard Madden as John Reid

Richard Madden will be portraying Elton's long-time music manager and former lover, John Reid. Not only did he manage Elton for over 20 years, but he also spent three years looking after Queen in their early days.


Richard is most recently known for his role as Sgt David Budd in Bodyguard, but rose to prominence after starring as Robb Stark in internationally-acclaimed TV series, Game Of Thrones. He has also had a career in theatre.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila Eileen

Bryce Dallas Howard will be playing the role of Elton's mum, Sheila Eileen. Although she and Elton did not get on for a long time, they reconciled towards the end of her life, and she was a big part of his Christmas advert for M&S in 2018.


Bryce herself has the film industry in her blood, as she's the daughter of prolific film director Ron Howard. Although she's had many roles, she's most recently known for playing Claire Dearing in the new Jurassic World reboot film series opposite Chris Pratt.

Stephen Graham as Dick James

Stephen Graham will be portraying Dick James in the film, a British music publisher who signed Elton to his label and encouraged him to use a stage name.


Fans of This Is England will recognise Stephen as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne, but many others may know him as Tommy from 2000 film Snatch. He's also joining the cast of Line Of Duty for the upcoming series.

Gemma Jones as Ivy

Gemma Jones will play Ivy in the film, Elton's grandmother. In fact, it was Ivy's piano that Elton first learned to play on at the age of three. He was partly raised by her along with his mother as his father was away with the RAF.


Gemma has had a long and successful career in acting, and after playing Mrs Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility opposite Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, starred as Bridget's mum Pam in the film series. She also played nurse Madame Pomfrey in the Harry Potter film franchise.

Tate Donovan as Doug Weston

Tate Donovan plays Doug Weston in Rocketman, the owner of nightclub The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, which played an important role in making Elton's career a success.


Tate is a rather well-known actor, but younger audiences will recognise him as the voice of Hercules in the 1997 Disney film. Alternatively, Tate was memorable as Rachel Green's boyfriend Joshua in TV series, Friends. He also had a main role in Argo, starring and directed by Ben Affleck.

Rocketman will be in cinemas on the 31st May.

You can hear songs from Elton John on Greatest Hits Radio.

Listen to Greatest Hits Radio on the free Rayo app, online or on your DAB digital radio. You can also listen on your smart speaker by saying “Play Greatest Hits Radio”.