“Lennon Naked” airs tomorrow
Written by admin on June 22, 2010 – 9:58 pm -Fans of John Lennon who live in the UK will be interested in a 90-minute drama about his solo years that is airing tomorrow night (June 23) on BBC 4. “Lennon Naked” stars Christopher Eccleston as John Lennon.
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Writer Robert Jones and director/producer Edward Coulthard avoided interviewing those close to Lennon and instead relied on existing interviews with dozens of individuals, as well as press conferences and chat shows with Lennon himself. We are told that this was to avoid the drama being based on any one, subjective account. A cynic might say that the high profile individuals simply wouldn’t have made themselves available. |
Jones and Coulthard cite Lennon’s Rolling Stone interview from 1971 as a major inspiration for creating “Lennon Naked.” Coulthard said:
| “But what really inspired this idea is listening to tapes of that interview to Rolling Stone magazine, soon after Lennon had arrived to live in America. Lennon decided to completely open up for the first time – and reveal the truth about how he felt about everyone – and tell the story of what really happened during the time he met Yoko and The Beatles started to break up. This was clearly a time when he struggled to reinvent himself as a solo artist – and once I started talking to Robert, it began to feel like the basis for a film.” |
Hopefully the drama will recognise that relations with McCartney did not remain as sour as when the Rolling Stone interview was conducted.
Jones said:
| “I hope the audience will take away the idea of a complex man who didn’t always do the right thing but who confronted with dignity, humanity and integrity an existence the like of which would have been unimaginable before he set out and lived it.” |
Christopher Eccleston does seem like an excellent choice to play Lennon. Eccleston is a highly talented actor and, with the hair and make up, is an acceptable physical match.
Commenting on the role, Eccleston said:
| “I wanted to play Lennon because of Robert Jones’s script. He captured Lennon’s character and the world in which he lived with imagination and great originality. I had three weeks from accepting the role to prepare, so I read, watched and listened to everything I could get my hands on.” |
| “I think Lennon was intensely human and his flaws were amplified by fame. He had to wrestle with his qualities and his demons in a very public forum.” |
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Yoko One is played by Naoko Mori, who is familiar for her role in Torchwood. She also appeared in Doctor Who when Christopher Eccleston was the doctor, so this is not the first time the pair have worked together. She has cited the opportunity to work with Eccleston again as one of the reasons she accepted the role |
Naoko has said that she was apprehensive about playing Yoko, but welcomed the challenge and hopes to explore the character further in future:
| “Playing Yoko in Lennon Naked was an interesting exploration and foray into her world and it has taught me so much. I believe my relationship and curiosity with her has only just begun.” |
“Lennon Naked” airs on June 23 at 9.30pm on BBC 4. It will also be available online on BBC iPlayer.
Tags: Christopher Eccleston, John Lennon, Lennon Naked, Yoko Ono
Posted in Films, The Beatles |
