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John Lennon wanted to be every kind of artist — including an actor. In 1967, he got his wish, appearing in How I Won the War without the other Beatles members. Here was the other “Fab Four” members’ reaction to his solo success.

John Lennon starred in ‘How I Won The War’ (without the other Beatles members)

Beatle John Lennon (right) and Roy Kinnear play members of a British Platoon caught up in World War II's north Africa campaign, 'How I Won the War'
Beatle John Lennon (right) and Roy Kinnear play members of a British Platoon caught up in World War II’s north Africa campaign, ‘How I Won the War’ | Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images

While still writing with the Beatles, Lennon starred in a featured film. How I Won the War premiered in 1967, featuring Lee Montague, Michael Crawford, and Roy Kinnear. The IMDb description states, “an inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.”

Lennon acted as “Gripweed,” although this wouldn’t be the first film starring the musician. Alongside the other Beatles, he starred in Help and A Hard Day’s Night. This, however, was his acting debut sans the “Fab Four.”

The other Beatles weren’t jealous of John Lennon, according to Paul McCartney

The Beatles members began exploring solo projects before their official split in 1970. Even if Lennon was the only Beatle in How I Won the War, Paul McCartney confirmed there was no jealousy among other band members.

“There isn’t any,” McCartney said (via Beatles Interviews). “Jealousy doesn’t exist. When John wanted to do a film on his own, we were all happy for him. Now that he’s done it, he has passed on to us information about all sorts of things he has learned.” 

“That is, as Beatles we become richer in experience,” he added. “George went to India and told us what he had learned. I wrote film music and found out other things, which I’ve passed on.”

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John Lennon published several original books, including ‘In His Own Write’

Before he was a Beatles member, Lennon studied art at the Liverpool Art Institute from 1957 to 1960. He primarily worked with ink and pen, with some doodles showcased in original novels. 

Lennon released In His Own Write in 1964 — a nonsense collection of poems and short stories. About a year later, he published A Spaniard in the Works. Similar to his previous work, this included nonsensical stories and doodles from the musician. 

Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings was published posthumously in 1986, with an afterword from his second wife Yoko Ono. When he was first starting out with the rock band, Lennon wrote the Beatles’ origin story for a local newspaper. 

“I feel I want to be them all — painter, writer, actor, singer, player, musician,” Lennon said of his artistic endeavors (via Beatles Interviews). “I want to try them all, and I’m lucky enough to be able to.” 

Of course, Lennon is best known for his songwriting, creating music alongside McCartney and as a solo artist. Now, music by the Beatles is available on most major streaming platforms. 

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