Egerton plays Elton John in the hit movie, which comes out in US cinemas this weekend after making a strong UK debut last week. The role is very demanding: it requires Egerton to perform some of the most iconic songs of all time, to bring to life the early years of an A-list musician, and even to perform a love scene with Richard Madden. But he told Jimmy Kimmel on US TV this week that something else altogether sent his worries skyrocketing: the hair.
He told Kimmel: “Last time [he was on the chatshow] I was bald. Now I’m not.
“For the role we dyed my hair orange, thinned it out, shaved my hairline up… but it grew back.”
When Kimmel asked if he was scared about his hair never returning, Egerton said: “Every. Single. Day.
“The anxiety was massive.”
In the same interview, Egerton also recalled the Cannes premiere of the film, at which he was seen looking very emotional indeed.
“We watched the whole movie at this kind of angle [sideways] to try and ascertain if [Elton John] approved of it,” he said.
“He’d seen bits, rushes, and the trailer but not the whole movie. It was the first time I’d seen it with all the finished VFX and everything.
“To see him watch the scene in which they meet [he and Bernie Taupin] and grab each-other on the knee… and then about 15 minutes before the end he absolutely broke down.
“He was blubbing, and then the lights come up and I’m very moved because Elton is moved.
“But Elton – because he’s an old pro – has managed to get himself looking immaculate again whereas I am just melting with all these cameras on me.”
Reviews were strong for Rocketman, with it scoring considerably higher than similar hits Bohemian Rhapsody and A Greatest Showman.
Rocketman is out now.