Peter Frampton has opened up about his regrettable decision to star in the 1978 musical film ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ which was widely panned by critics and audiences alike.
In an interview with The Bob Lefsetz Podcast, Frampton said he was lured into the project by the false promise of a cameo by Paul McCartney, whose songs inspired the movie.
"I was told by (producer) Robert Stigwood that Paul McCartney was going to be the savior of the Heartland. When Stigwood said, 'Paul is going to be in the movie,' I said, 'Really! Well, if a Beatle's going to be in the movie, he's sanctioned it, then it can't be bad'," Frampton recalled.
However, when he arrived in Los Angeles for the first meeting, he realized he had been lied to. "No Paul McCartney. So I was lied to. Then I realized from the first day of shooting, oh this was a disaster. I didn't walk because I would have been sued... But we all hated being in that movie," he said.
The film, which also starred The Bee Gees, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and Steve Martin, among others, was a box office bomb and received mostly negative reviews. It was nominated for seven Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Frampton), and Worst Screenplay.
Despite the setback, Frampton continued to make music and perform live. He is currently on his Never Say Never tour, which he announced in 2019 after being diagnosed with a degenerative muscle disease. He will play his next show this week, on March 3rd in Greensboro, North Carolina.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]