Asa Butterfield Shares Disappointment At Being Turned Down For Role In New Beatles Movies

Asa Butterfield has opened up about missing out on a role in Sam Mendes’ upcoming big-screen Beatles project.

During an interview published in The Times on Wednesday, the former Sex Education star has admitted he was at one point in the running to play George Harrison in the new movies, which will tell the story of The Beatles’ ascent from the perspective of all four members, each getting their own dedicated film.

“I did audition – for George Harrison,” he shared, referring to the role which eventually went to Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn.

Asa explained: “There are roles that you really, really want. But I find something else comes up and you do another job which you wouldn’t have been able to do.”

This isn’t the first near-miss in Asa’s career, though.

Back in 2020, he confirmed to Collider that at one point he’d been in contention to play Spider-Man, before Marvel gave the role to Tom Holland.

“Every so often there’s a part [that you really want] and it’s a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you don’t get it,” he said.

“And it is tough and it is shit, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldn’t have been able to do both of those at the same time.”

He added: “I think as an actor and going out for roles, there’s only so much you can do and everyone’s gonna have a different take on a part and look at a character in different ways, have a different sort of performance, and you kind of have to stick with what you think.

“And if that isn’t necessary in line with what the director and the producers want, then it’s like, there’s nothing you can do about that. You might just not be the right person, and that’s out of your hands. And that’s something I’ve learned, something that I think is great to help me kind of get over it.

“Because Tom did amazing things with Peter and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think it’s worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I don’t think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end.”

Interestingly, this was the basis of one of Asa’s most recent projects, the play Second Best, in which he portrayed a former child actor who lost out on the role of Harry Potter after getting down to the final two in the auditioning process.