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Mick Jagger on promo trailer for the Ned Kelly movie (1970)
Mick Jagger as Ned Kelly: A Rock Star Outlaw (Sort Of)
In 1970, someone had the brilliant (or totally bizarre) idea to cast Mick Jagger as legendary Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Because, obviously, when you think of a rugged bushranger, you think of a skinny English rock star with a posh accent, right?
Fresh off his Let It Bleed era swagger, Jagger swapped his mic for a gun and his leather pants for some… questionable facial hair and period costumes. The result? A movie that’s mostly remembered for all wrong reasons (by the way, here’s a promo issued before the movie hit the cinemas) In fact Mick tried his best, but let’s be honest—his portrayal of Kelly is about as convincing as Keith Richards giving up cigarettes. The film itself was plagued with issues, from production problems to Mick injuring himself while filming a stunt. Oh, and to top it off, he had to keep his singing to a minimum—probably the worst decision when casting Mick Jagger in anything.
Critics weren’t exactly kind, calling his performance flat and the film a historical mess. And Aussie audiences? Let’s just say they weren’t thrilled about a British rock star playing their folk hero. But hey, at least Mick got to experience the outlaw life firsthand—minus the whole “getting executed” part.
Over the years, Ned Kellyhas gained a bit of cult status, mostly as a weird footnote in Jagger’s career. It’s proof that while he can own any stage, maybe the Wild West (or in this case, the Australian bush) wasn’t quite his scene. Still, you gotta give him credit for trying—because if nothing else, Ned Kelly gave us the surreal image of Mick Jagger in a tin helmet, playing a gunslinger. Rock and roll, indeed.
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