Sam Mendes is set to direct a four-part biographical film project, with each movie focusing on a member of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. Recently, McCartney opened up about the project, revealing that he has reservations about Paul Mescal, who is set to play him.
Paul McCartney Says Paul Mescal May Be Too Short To Play Him
McCartney appeared on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast in October 2026. While on, the topic of Mendes’ upcoming films came up, with McCartney revealing his hang-up surrounding the film.
“We were all the same height,” the musician began. “We were all the same height, and Ringo was a bit smaller. And if you look at photos, we’re all the same height.” He then said about Mescal, “Guess what? He is smaller than the guy who plays John. Sam Mendes is making the film. I said, ‘Sam, I’ve got just one thing that I need to say to you. You know, Paul [Mescal is] a bit smaller.'”
“I don’t know how Sam’s gonna deal with it. He sent me a picture, a still from the filming they were doing, and they’re crossing the Abbey Road crossing, and the Paul character is markedly smaller. I texted him: ‘Sam! Smaller? Don’t do this! You said you wouldn’t do it.'”
The Beatles Legend Has Met Paul Mescal
Mescal was cast to play McCartney in March 2025. Production began in late 2025, with plans to release the films in 2028 within weeks of one another. In a 2026 BBC interview, McCartney discussed his meeting with the actor.
When asked if he’d offered Mescal advice on singing, the 84-year-old said, “None! None!” However, he did attempt to teach Mescal how to play guitar left-handed. According to him, “He came into this office, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll show him how to do ‘Blackbird.’ So I picked up the guitar and started playing… and he played along exactly! I think he knew it better than I did!”
McCartney added, “It was amazing how studied and how well-educated he was about me. So, yeah, I thought, OK, I’ll leave you to it.”
Following their meeting, Mescal gushed to IndiWire about the music icon. He said, “He’s an extraordinary man, like to spend any time— it’s a crazy sentence to say that I’ve spent time with that man, let alone play him.” After that, he confirmed that he’ll do his own singing for the upcoming films, saying, “Yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah.”
Sam Mendes Previously Released A Statement on The Movies
The upcoming Mendes Beatles project was announced in early 2024. Per the official Beatles website, the director said in a statement, “I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.
We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time.”
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Paul McCartney Gives Honest Critique of Upcoming Beatles Movies – ‘Don’t Do This’