Taron Egerton's Take On Kissing A Man For Elton John Film Is Refreshing

Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in the “Rocketman” biopic out this month, takes a gender-neutral stance on sex scenes.

“For me, kissing a man onscreen is no less appealing than kissing a woman onscreen,” Egerton, who is straight, told The Hollywood Reporter in a story posted Monday. “I’m not in any way repulsed by the male form. It’s an uncomfortable thing regardless of who you’re with. It makes no difference as to your sexual preference.”

Egerton filmed intimate moments with Richard Madden, who played John’s manager and boyfriend, John Reid.

In a red carpet interview earlier this month (watch at the top of the page), Egerton said the love scenes were being “blown out of proportion.”

“There’s so much to celebrate about the film,” he said.

But as the rock biopic prepares to screen at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16 before its May 31 release date, the conversation likely won’t subside.

Egerton had previously told MTV that the movie is “a celebration of everything that Elton John is and part of that is his sexuality.”

“What right do I have to play Elton John if I am not going to go the same lengths to portray a gay relationship as a gay actor would?” he said in another interview.

As for initial objections that he was playing John, Egerton told The Hollywood Reporter: “I have spoken to gay people for whom it’s not a problem, and I’ve spoken to gay people for whom it is a problem. I completely understand. But for my part, I’m an actor, and I did not get into acting to just play people like me. You have to draw the line somewhere, and I don’t want to live in a world where straight people play straight people and gay people play gay people.”