Elton John Wouldn't Let Studios 'Tone Down The Sex And Drugs' In Biopic

Elton John gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest decisions that held up the making of “Rocketman,” the newly released biopic on his life, including that “some studios wanted to tone down the sex and drugs so the film would get a PG-13 rating.”

“But I just haven’t led a PG-13 rated life,” John wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian published on Sunday.  “I didn’t want a film packed with drugs and sex, but equally, everyone knows I had quite a lot of both during the ’70s and ’80s, so there didn’t seem to be much point in making a movie that implied that after every gig, I’d quietly gone back to my hotel room with only a glass of warm milk and the Gideon’s Bible for company.”

The icon described how he wanted the film to honestly portray his life, cocaine-fueled years included. 

“It took a fairly Herculean effort to get yourself noticed for taking too much cocaine in the music industry of 1970s LA, but I was clearly prepared to put the hours in,” he added.

John wrote about his addiction to cocaine and seeking treatment in his 2012 memoir “Love Is the Cure.” In 2015, he celebrated 25 years of sobriety with an Instagram post, adding the caption, “One day at a time.”

The star also detailed how multiple directors were attached to the film over the decades it took for the project to come to life. Different lead actors were also attached to the film at various points, including Justin Timberlake at one time. 

According to CNN , the film eventually landed at Paramount Pictures, but not before passing through Focus Features and Walt Disney Studios.