Blake Richardson, who plays Sir Paul McCartney in an upcoming film about Beatles manager Brian Epstein, said he has been watching the band perform since childhood.
The 22-year-old frontman of Brit pop band New Hope Club is set to make his acting debut as one of the Fab Four in Midas Man.
He will star alongside Jonah Lees as John Lennon, Leo Harvey-Ellage as George Harrison, and Campbell Wallace as Sir Ringo Starr in the new biopic.
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The Beatles at Brian Epstein’s home in Belgravia, London, 1967 (Linda McCartney/PA)
The film will uncover Epstein’s unparalleled influence on pop music around the world and his own tragic story.
Richardson said: “I’ve been watching The Beatles perform since I was 10 years old. We’ve always done Beatles songs in our live sets.
“I had a tweet when I was 16 or 17 saying, ‘If I could ever do a movie, I just wanted to play Paul McCartney in a movie’.”
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Blake Richardson with his girlfriend, Bailey Madison (Ian West / PA)
Bandmate Reece Bibby admitted that the New Hope Club had taken advantage of Richardson’s resemblance to Sir Paul when he was in America.
“The first time we were in L.A., a cab driver overheard our tone and asked if we were from England, and we were joking by saying ‘this one, that’s Paul McCartney’s grandson,'” he said.
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The group, which has enjoyed a UK top five album, has released two new singles, Girl Who Do Both and Getting Better, marking Richardson’s debut as producer.
The Manchester trio, who have been performing together since adolescence, said they were inspired by great British bands including The Beatles, The Stone Roses and Oasis.
He revealed that he also has a secret invite-only Instagram account to stay close to his biggest fans.
Band member George Smith said: “That’s where we can be ourselves. We’ve always interacted with fans on social media, ever since we started at the age of 15.
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New Hope Club (Claire Gillan / PA)
“But it is the supporters who have been with us through everything that we invite to that account. It’s wonderful to have this bond.
“We are unusually close to our fans, which is where the name comes from – we are the New Hope ‘Club’ for a reason.
“The band and the fans are a team and it’s always been like that. They’re like family.”
The band will begin their US tour in July.
