(epic piano music)
There are moments in a rockstar's life
that define who he is.
The movie Rocketman details
the defining moments in the life
of the legendary Elton John.
(rock music)
Whose career has spanned more than 50 years.
Elton's done things differently, always,
cause he would take the lyrics
and create songs and melodies around them.
And he's got, just, incredible talent,
he's one of the most talented people of art,
of our era, of the last century, really.
But what's the true story of Rocketman?
It's amazing that this working-class kid
is now one of the biggest icons of the world.
What did you say your name was again?
My name is-
Reggie!
Reginald Dwight.
Reginald?
That's my grandad's name.
The film shows how he went
from humble roots to global stardom,
and it wasn't always pretty.
Music as a young boy pulled him
out of a very unhappy childhood.
Hands off the table.
Stop making that noise.
And that opened a door to a world
full of infinite possibilities.
It goes back to Elton's upbringing
in the UK, in a family that didn't always
support his love of music.
Elton had a particularly difficult relationship
with his mother, played by Bryce Dallas Howard.
I just hope you realize you're choosing
a life of being alone forever.
Elton persisted in his dreams,
playing piano in pubs and joining bands.
He struggled to find his place in the world of music.
(unintelligible) around after a couple of years,
they thought they'd ride that out,
and I think Elton thought the same thing,
but the reason he's lasted so many years
and been such an important artist,
it's really because of the songs.
I mean, the songs still hold up.
He's written so many great tunes in his career,
songs that still mean so much,
and still connect in a very emotional way
with so many people.
How does a fat boy from nowhere
get to be a songman?
You gotta kill the person you were born to be
in order to become the person you want to be.
Elton created a flamboyant stage persona.
His over-the-top costumes and his incredible lyrics
catapulted him to stardom.
People don't pay to see Reg Dwight,
they pay to see Elton John.
Sorry.
I know.
Rocketman is an authorized biopic,
but the creators say they don't shy away
from the less flattering parts of Elton's life.
It had to be as honest as possible.
The lows were very low, the highs were very high.
That's how I wanted the film to be.
Like many people in the spotlight,
Elton battled addiction.
Just, don't kill yourself with drugs.
Those close to him worried his story
would end in tragedy far too soon.
Do you even care how much pressure I am under?
Not really, I'll still be collecting my 20%
long after you've killed yourself.
He tried to commit suicide, because he was very confused,
and that's what Someone Saved My Life Tonight was about.
I'm interested to see how that's worked into this film.
The film also shows how he hid his sexuality.
He married Renate Blauel in 1984.
They divorced three years later,
and Elton eventually came out as gay.
I'm really glad that Elton did that,
I think that becoming honest with your audience
and being honest and showing people who you really are
is a really incredible thing.
I think Elton's gotten so honest about so many things
in his life, that I think that that's the thing about him
that people really appreciate
who've been his fans for a long time.
(singing) I'm a rocketman.
Rocketman!
From the very beginning of Elton's career
his songs have been used in so many movies over the years,
I mean, you know, throughout his career,
people have gone and used his great songs for soundtracks,
so it's really cool to finally,
there's a movie that using all that stuff
that's actually about Elton.
For InsideEdition.com,
I'm Mara Montalbono.