Compared to what we’ve seen in the best music biopics out there, where the attention is focused on a singer or a band as a whole, Sam Mendes plans to change the biopic narrative. What we know so far about his Beatles biopics is that they’ll be comprised of four movies, with each centered on one Beatle’s point of view. As Paul Mescal will star in the four Beatles movies as Paul McCartney, he was quick to answer whether he would be giving his vocal talent to the movies.
Paul Mescal was asked by Indiewire if he’d be doing his own singing while portraying Paul McCartney, and he answered without missing a beat:
Yep, yeah, absolutely. Hell yeah.
Music biopics can work both ways, where a film’s lead will either lip-sync or provide their genuine singing voice. In Selena, J. Lo lip-synced to the real Selena Quintanilla, which was a genuine tribute to the late singer’s talent. But when Joaquin Phoenix sang as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, we witnessed the actor embodying the musician with his own musical talent.
So it was good to hear Paul Mescal’s answer! As a Beatles fan, it’s not that I wouldn’t have loved to hear the real Paul McCartney’s voice make its way to Sam Mendes’ movies. However, getting to hear Paul Mescal’s interpretations of the most famed Beatles tunes would thrill me all the more. I can picture him putting strength and soul into each number the way he has in every acting role he’s achieved.
It’s like when I first heard Jim Sturgess sing “Girl” in the must-watch offbeat musical Across the Universe, or Ewan McGregor sing “All You Need is Love” in Moulin Rouge! Having actors of our generation sing the songs of the “Fab Four” can create a new generation of fans.
Paul Mescal has proven his musical talent when he sang in the 2022 musical drama Carmen. He’ll also be taking on the lead role of Franklin Shepard in Richard Linklater’s upcoming musical adaptation Merrily We Roll Along. With these musical roles, the Academy Award nominee is showing that he’s a man of many talents. Given what a talent Paul McCartney is, there’s no better actor out there to portray him than someone as equally dedicated to their craft.
With Sam Mendes’ Beatles movies being split into four, that means four movies of Paul Mescal belting out songs that have captured the hearts of many generations. While there’s been no confirmation of what songs will be covered, I’d love to hear the Aftersun actor sing hits like “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday.” We’ll all have to wait for the upcoming music biopics to hit theaters in 2028 to see Mescal bring his voice and charm to his legendary new role.