If you’re still unfamiliar with Harris Dickinson and his growing body of work, chances are you won’t be when he finally fulfills what is arguably his most challenging role to date.
The British actor will play John Lennon in an ambitious four-part anthology of films documenting the lives of each individual member of The Beatles, from their working class origins in Liverpool to worldwide Beatlemania and the band’s cultural impact on the 1960s and beyond.
With Paul Mescal taking on Sir Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn playing the late George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, the project’s casting has raised plenty of eyebrows – but Dickinson’s own background arguably parallels that of the acerbic, quick-witted Lennon.
Much like Lennon, who was tragically shot dead outside his New York apartment in 1980, the rising star, 29, grew up in a working class environment, albeit significantly south of Liverpool, in east London.
Unashamedly proud of his upbringing, Dickinson – whose own father was born in the north of England, close to Liverpool – claims it was once used to ‘humiliate’ him by an unnamed actor while they worked on an earlier film.
In a 2023 interview with the The Times, Dickinson said the former co-star – “a w**ker, middle to upper class” – used a series of social class cliches to describe him while playing a game whereby he pretended to be someone on set and his co-workers had to guess who by asking a series of questions.
(L-R) Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn will play respective Beatles John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in four new films
When asked, ‘what food are you?’ the response was fish ’n’ chips – a classic British staple – while ‘what TV show are you?’ was long-running ITV dating show Love Island.
Dickinson refused to directly name the actor in question at the time, but in a new interview with the same publication published this weekend, he hinted at the culprit while sifting through comments from Times readers.
Harris was told that many readers were convinced it was Ralph Fiennes, his co-star in 2021 spy drama The King’s Man.
‘No, it’s not Ralph. Ralph’s a sweetheart,’ he told the publication.
However he was less convincing when others suggested it might be Robert Lindsay, with whom he starred in the star-studded 2019 fantasy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
‘F***! I’ve been caught!’ he joked, but refused to elaborate further.
Referencing the incident with The Times in 2023, Dickinson said: ‘I won’t say who it is and I really want to, because he’s a w***er. But we did a film and he was old school, middle to upper class, had done the rounds, TV, theatre.’
He added: ‘It was becoming quite clear that the only person he could’ve been talking about was me. Fish’n’chips is a stereotypical working-class food, Love Island is culturally low, while lukewarm is insulting.
Dickinson worked with Robert Lindsay on 2019 fantasy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (L-R: Dickinson, Elle Fanning, Lindsay and Michelle Pfeiffer in a scene from the film)
The British actor played Prince Phillip in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (pictured)
‘He said, “I’m Harris, of course!” He humiliated me in front of all of these other actors and it’s difficult for that not to affect you, especially if you’re young.’
It was announced earlier in April that Dickinson would play Lennon, alongside Paul Mescal as McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Starr and Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn as Harrison.
Filmmaker Sam Mendes – who will direct at least one of the new biopics – appeared at the CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas to introduce them to the stage and confirmed all four films will come out in the same month.
According to the director, Sony boss Tom Rothman dubbed the films ‘the first bingeable theatrical experience’ – with all films set to be released in April 2028.
‘We’re not just making one film about the Beatles — we’re making four,’ Mendes announced. ‘Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.’
‘The Beatles changed my understanding of music,’ Mendes added. ‘I’ve been trying to make a movie about them for years.’
Dickinson already has a string of blockbusters to his name, including the erotic thriller Babygirl, in which he starred alongside Nicole Kidman, and recent wrestling drama The Iron Claw, starring Jeremy Allen White.
The new Beatles projects are yet to be given an official release date.
The Beatles’ story is set to be told in four biopics, which will all be released in April 2028, in what’s been dubbed ‘the first binge-able theatrical experience’
Dickinson appeared on stage with his co-stars at the CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas earlier this year after confirming his involvement in the new Beatles project
Dickinson has a string of blockbusters to his name, including the erotic thriller Babygirl (pictured) with Nicole Kidman