In a revelation that may surprise fans, the actress set to portray Sir Ringo Starr's first wife in the upcoming series of Beatles biopics has confessed she was unable to identify the legendary band members or name their classic hits.
From 'Not My Jam' to Underrated Icons
Mia McKenna-Bruce, 28, who won a BAFTA for her role in 'How to Have Sex', is playing Maureen Starkey across four separate films, each dedicated to a different member of The Beatles. The ambitious cinematic project is scheduled for release in 2028.
Speaking to Tatler magazine, the actress admitted her initial unfamiliarity with the band's vast catalogue. "We sang Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine at school but it wasn't my jam," she said. Her casting was announced while she was filming an adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Seven Dials Mystery' with actor Martin Freeman, 54, who playfully quizzed her.
"[He] was asking me to name all the Beatles. I didn't know," McKenna-Bruce recalled. "Then, he'd ask, 'What band was Mick Jagger in?' I was like, 'I have no idea'." Her perspective has since undergone a dramatic shift. "Yet now, I'm like, 'Oh, my God, the Beatles are underrated.' It's music I'd sit and listen to on the train."
Portraying a Beatles' Legacy
The highly anticipated films will star Paul Mescal as Sir Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Sir Ringo Starr. McKenna-Bruce's character, Maureen, married the Beatles' drummer in 1965 and the couple had three children together. They divorced a decade later, but Starr remained a supportive presence, sitting by her bedside when she died from leukaemia in 1994.
The actress, who is a mother-of-one, shared a poignant insight into the enduring bond. "I haven't met Ringo but apparently, to this day, when he talks about Maureen he gets this brightness behind his eyes."
Beyond the Biopic: A Bold On-Screen Partnership
McKenna-Bruce is also starring this year alongside Hollywood icon Matt Damon in 'The Fence', a film based on a 1979 play. She plays Leonie, the young wife to Damon's character Horn, an American construction foreman in West Africa. The movie tackles themes of masculinity, race, and social divides.
Despite playing spouses of a similar age on screen, there is a 33-year age gap between the two actors. McKenna-Bruce said she was initially uncertain about the pairing, given Damon is the same age as her parents, but those concerns quickly faded. "It was a bold choice, but mentally we were in the same place," she explained.
She also discovered Damon's enduring star power. "I had no idea what a heartthrob Matt was. When we were in Toronto [for the premiere], there were screaming women waiting for him. I was like, 'Matt, I didn't realise you were such hot property'. He's so humble and such a sweetheart."
The full interview with Mia McKenna-Bruce is featured in the February issue of Tatler, available via digital download and on newsstands from Thursday, January 8.
