Bohemian Rhapsody: Roger Taylor actor Ben Hardy reveals the truth behind his drumming

The actor, who shot to fame in EastEnders, plays Roger Taylor in the film – which is still enjoying big success worldwide. But despite his convincing performance, it seems he didn’t know his way around a drum kit at all until he got the part – and in fact, he told bosses he could already do it before he actually could.

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning way back in April, he said: “I was a little bit naughty, actually – I told them I could play the drums [when I couldn’t].

“That’s what they say, isn’t it – ‘just tell them you can do it and work it out later!’

“And then they asked me to play a song as part of the audition so I went away and had drum lessons every day.

“I bought a drum kit and managed to just about pull off one song.”

Hardy had to shoot 13 songs for the film – and it seems he’s a master at all of them… and nothing else.

“I haven’t tried to play anything else,” he quipped.

Rami Malek, who plays Freddie Mercury, recently revealed that he was much more upfront about his lack of musical ability before he got the job.

“[The producer and I] sat down for a six hour meeting and he’d really only seen me in Mr Robot, where I played this profoundly alienated, socially anxious human being who’s a pretty far cry from Freddie Mercury,” he told Deadline.

“I said, ‘listen, I’m not a singer. I don’t play the piano. I move in a very interesting way on a dancefloor – I don’t know if I’d call it rhythm!’

“But somehow, I just said, ‘if I have the time, I can get there. If you help me out with the things I need.’”

The project was first announced way back in 2010 with Sacha Baron Cohen as Mercury, but he departed the project in 2013. Malek was cast in 2016.

He will next be seen in the drama Papillon, out in the UK on December 21. Watch an exclusive clip here.

Bohemian Rhapsody is out now.