Actor Ben Hardy (Photo by LISA O’CONNOR / AFP)
English actor Ben Hardy, who starred in “X-Men Apocalypse” as the winged mutant Archangel, had to lie to nab a part in the film about rock band Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” to play the role of its drummer Roger Taylor.
Hardy recounted asking his “X-Men” director, Bryan Singer, about the part, lying that he knew how to play drums, which would be a plus. Singer was director of the film as well, before his controversial firing in 2017.
“[Bryan] had reservations based upon the fact that he wanted the person who played Roger Taylor to be able to play the drums because you can cheat the other instruments with camera angles,” Hardy recently told People. “But in the wide shots, you can see if the drum is out of sync. So I told him I could play the drums—which I couldn’t at the time.”
According to the 27-year-old actor, he scrambled to learn the instrument in two weeks, and practiced about 10 hours a day.
Landing the part, Hardy eventually met Taylor, who imparted some knowledge in drumming.
“He gave me a mini drum lesson, which was so cool,” recalled Hardy. “Who gets to say [that he] got a drum lesson from Roger Taylor at Abbey Road Studios?”
On Instagram, the actor posted a photo with the musician, with the caption, “A lesson from the legend himself.”
In another upload, Hardy shared a black-and-white photo of himself on the set, describing his drum set as “ever-pedantic.”
He expressed regret that he was unable to join the press tour: “It’s killing me.”—OLIVER PULUMBARIT