Aaron Johnson's Portrayal of John Lennon in Nowhere Boy Praised by Yoko Ono
Posted 01.03.10 by BrentJS
Actor Aaron Johnson is a relative unknown in the States, but he has been performing in his native England since the age of six. He had a minor role in The Illusionist (2006), but Johnson became an instant celebrity among comic book movie fans when he landed the starring role of Dave Lizewski in Matthew Vaughn's dark superhero comedy, Kick-Ass, opening in April.
However, before Johnson can be seen putting a "beat down" on bad guys in Kick-Ass, he can be seen portraying one of the most celebrated artists in modern music history in Nowhere Boy, a biopic focusing on John Lennon's formative years. For Johnson, playing Lennon meant not thinking about him as the legend he has become.
We just had to try to not focus on the fact he was an icon and that so many people loved Lennon and The Beatles. I just had to put it to the back of my mind.
Apparently, Johnson's performance hit the mark, because Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, reportedly wrote a letter praising the movie and granted director Sam Taylor Wood permission to use a rare Lennon track over the closing credits. Johnson said that Ono's approval of his performance was a big honor.
She's been wonderful. She knew Lennon closer than anybody, and really understood him, so it's a huge compliment when you get something like that.
Nowhere Boy opened in the U.K. and Australia on December 25th and 26th, respectively. It makes its U.S. debut this month at the Sundance Film Festival.