Rocketman star Taron Egerton has opened up about time he spent with Sir Elton John in preparation for his role. Egerton has also tipped that John continued a tradition that began in the 1970s: He gave Egerton a drag name.
Egerton earned acclaim for his performance as John in Rocketman earlier this year. He also took on additional duties, providing the voice of the audiobook for John’s autobiography Me. Around the same time, John revealed that he and several of his rocker friends all had drag names in the 1970s. Elton went by Sharon, while Rod Stewart went by Phyllis and Freddie Mercury was Melina. As a sign of affection, John gave Egerton a drag name of his own.
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“I think that’s how you know he really likes you,” Egerton told Entertainment Weekly. “My drag name is Blodwyn and my surname is Campervan.” He adds: “Elton’s very keen that the stress not be on camper van. It’s on camper van, at the end.”
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Egerton’s name derives from a Welsh flower–Blodwyn–as a tribute to his own Welsh heritage. “Campervan” comes from the actor’s love of taking camping trips in his RV.
Not content to let the name go unused, Egerton decided to test out his drag persona for Elton himself. “I went to stay with him a few weeks ago in his place in the South of France,” Egerton recounts. “And after he went to bed I found his Polaroid camera — and I borrowed my girlfriend’s clothes and I dressed up as what I imagined Blodwyn Campervan might be, and took some photos of me and my girlfriend. She drew a mustache on herself. So — we both cross-dressed for Elton and David [Furnish, John’s husband]’s amusement, and put it their guest book before we left.”
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