"Don't Do It!" Why Paul McCartney Cares About Being Shorter Than John Lennon in Sam Mendes' Beatles Films

You're Paul McCartney, so how come you still get angry that your imaginary version is smaller than John Lennon's imaginary version? There is a lot of debate and speculation around Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopic. Some of it is logical (do people really watch four nearly identical films in one day?), some creative (what animal should be shaved to make John Lennon's Abbey Road beard?). The film is examined at every stage.

There has been much discussion and speculation surrounding Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biography. Some of this is logical (do people really see four nearly identical movies in one day?), some creative (what animal would have to be shaved to make John Lennon's Abbey Road beard?). At each stage, the footage is scrutinized and fact-checked and cross-referenced against the testimonies of the group's actual stylist.

But until now the rest of the Beatles have managed to keep quiet about the whole thing. Last year Ringo Starr mentioned he sat down with Mendes to redo a scene he wasn't happy with, and Paul McCartney praised Paul Mescall's guitar playing, but it seems no real red lines were crossed. until now

On the latest episode of Amy Poehler's podcast, McCartney pointed out a major tension that could tear the entire project apart: Under no circumstances should he be seen as shorter than John Lennon.

Notifying Poehler that he, Lennon and George Harrison were about the same height — with Starr slightly smaller — McCartney revealed that he texted Mendes after photos of the cast recreating the Abbey Road album cover were released. In them, he looked a lot like Harris Dickinson (played by Lennon) on top of McCartney Mescal. According to McCartney's recounting, the text read: "Sam! Younger? Don't do it! You said you wouldn't!"

While he quickly pointed to Mendes' response assuring him that it was just about their respective steps in the shot, you could understand his frustration here, even going so far as to post another one that showed them both being equally tall. By his own admission, McCartney is still upset about 2009's Nowhere Boy, which featured him as Lennon's younger, weedy sidekick.

But it has always stood. In the 1960s, the now-truly confusing official Beatles cartoon series depicted McCartney similarly compared to a belting Lennon, and even though Yellow Submarine quickly put Lennon and McCartney on the same footing, there's still the perception that the younger McCartney half is a partner.

In a sense, you can feel his pain. McCartney is a man who has spent the past few decades building a counterargument to the common claim that he was simply a pendant to Lennon's genius. Remember in 2002, when he released the live album Return to the States and changed the credits of its 19 tracks from "Lennon-McCartney" to "Paul McCartney and John Lennon" to better show the world that he was in the driving seat?

This ended with Yoko Ono threatening legal action, and subsequent editions were released with the credit returned. But McCartney had more recent success with both Peter Jackson's The Comeback (which rewrote Let It Be from "Paul McCartney Makes Everyone Angry About Leaving The Beatles" to "Paul. McCartney Single-handedly Keeps The Beatles Afloat") and the single Now and Then (which was vetoed by Harrison because it was "damn rubbish" and then anyway. published after his death). The interviewer tearfully thanks McCartney for his genius.

So physical height is the last hurdle. Making sure that Harris Dickinson never looks taller than Paul Mescall is the last tip McCartney has to overcome to keep his legacy alive forever. And sure, it might sound a little trite—it's the biographical equivalent of Fast and Furious movie conventions stipulating that The Rock should never lose a fight, even if it means inventing some weird ploy to even it out—but it's important.

If these films do as well as they can, then these four actors, with their strange wigs and mature faces, may become the lasting images of the group for a generation. The smallest inaccuracy can rewrite all of history as we know it. No one, especially the man himself, wants to have "Songwriter and Musician (slightly shorter than John Lennon)" on Paul McCartney's tombstone.