“I have one question… who is wearing sequins?”
It’s a fair query for Cameron Bailey, Toronto International Film Festival’s CEO, to ask at Friday night’s world premiere of “Elton John: Never Too Late,” a revealing look at the generation-spanning musical icon.
Although he’s one of the best-selling artists of all time, a tearful John told the crowd at Roy Thomson Hall that family is more important to him than fame. “On my tombstone, I don’t want it to say he sold a million records. I want it to say he was a great dad and great husband.”
“Never Too Late” captures John’s journey to becoming one of the world’s biggest rock stars in the 1970s, bookended by his landmark performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium — first, in 1975 to more than 100,000 fans, and then again in 2022 as his final concert in North America. But the documentary also chronicles the relationship with his husband David Furnish, who served as co-director with R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”).
“The thing I love about this movie is that I have him [Furnish] and my two sons. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved,” said John, pausing to hold back tears. “I hope to keep making music, but I want to be home and treasure them. Having a No. 1 album is really nice for five minutes, but this is a lifetime.”
Now at age 77, he says, “I’m having the best time of my life – except this fucking eye. I wish I could see you,” cracked John, who revealed earlier this week that he’s recovering from a “severe eye infection” that’s left him with limited vision. “But I can’t.”
Since it’s a film festival, after all, John offered a little insight into his taste in cinema. He cited 1989’s “Field of Dreams” as a film that stayed with him “because it’s a father and son thing” and listed “The Godfather Part II” as his favorite movie.
As for “Never Too Late,” Furnish wanted the story to chart the 50-year transformation from John’s first and last Dodger Stadium shows.
“It’s a beautiful narrative arc,” he said. “You can have all the success in the world, but it means nothing until you have love.”
Of course, Furnish is responsible for some of that love. “I’m incredibly close to the subject and therefore a little biased, so I let [Cutler] take the lead.”
Cutler may not be espoused to John, but he has his own history with the pop legend. He told the audience he went to his first Elton John concert in 1975 at age 13.
“I had to commit forgery and grand larceny to get a ticket,” Cutler said. “I’m serious, and it was worth it.”
