Paul McCartney’s plea over Beatles films: Don’t make me ‘little Paul’

“We were all the same height and Ringo was a bit smaller, but when Sam Taylor-Wood did Nowhere Boy, the John Lennon character was bigger than me in the film,” he said.

“My character is wimpy and smaller than John, and is easily knocked to the floor.”

He recalled getting in touch with Taylor-Wood to voice his thoughts.

“Her only explanation was that it was a movie, not a documentary, and I did not like that.

“There was me as little Paul, and John was a great big hero.”

Fast forward to the production stages of the new films, and Mendes got in touch with McCartney to share some of the material.

McCartney joked: “Guess what? Mescal is smaller than the guy who plays John.

“[Sam] sent me a still of the filming they were doing of when they were crossing the Abbey Road crossing, and the Paul character is markedly smaller.

“I texted him saying: Sam, he’s smaller. Don’t do this,” he laughed.

“He said it’s okay, it’s just the stride pattern, they’re all equal.”