Ronan Keating reveals the huge Hollywood movie role he narrowly missed out on

RONAN Keating has revealed which Oscar-nominated movie he almost starred in.

During a chat to promote his role on Channel 7’s upcoming TV show, All Together Now, the Boyzone singer opened up to news.com.au about the Hollywood films he’s auditioned for.

“Baz Luhrmann brought me to New York and I read for Moulin Rouge,” Keating said.

“He flew me to New York and there was Ewan (McGregor) who got the gig, Leo (DiCaprio) who didn’t get the gig and myself, the three of us.

“I met Leo not long ago and we were chatting, we were actually in Sydney playing cards, and I said, ‘Man, what about … Moulin Rouge? F**k me, I couldn’t act!’ He said, ‘Hey Ronan, you couldn’t act, and I couldn’t f***ing sing for sh*t!’”

In 2014 DiCaprio recounted to Variety what happened when he auditioned for Moulin Rouge which was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two.

“To be honest, I’m not really prepared to do a musical, simply because I think I have a pretty atrocious voice,” DiCaprio said.

“But we had a friendly thing where it was me and him (Luhrmann) and a piano player, and we tried to sing a song together.

“It didn’t go too well. I think it was Lean On Me, and when I hit the high note, he just turned to me.”

Luhrmann then said to DiCaprio, “D, I don’t know if this conversation should continue”.

Moulin Rouge isn’t the only movie role Keating’s auditioned for.

“I’ve read for a few other bits and bobs,” he told news.com.au. “The Hobbit and the most recent Beauty And The Beast.”

Keating, 41, said there was one movie audition that was more terrifying than all the others.

“I read for a movie in front of Jerry Bruckheimer and Antoine Fuqua, who is an amazing director,” he said. “It was an Irish movie called King Arthur and I’ll never forget it.

“I was much younger, this is like 15 years ago, maybe even more. That was pretty scary, that scared the sh*t out of me. I obviously didn’t get the role.”

One role that Keating did land was on Channel 7’s new singing show, All Together Now (seamless segue).

Debuting next Sunday at 7pm, the show gives solo singers and groups the chance to win $100,000.

Basically Keating is the captain of the 100, a group of singers and industry professionals whom the contestants have to sing in front of.

If members of the 100 like what they hear, they turn on their light, stand up and sing along with the contestant. The more members of the 100 who join in, the higher the performer scores.

“I like the idea that it’s more about entertainment rather than trying to find a global star,” Keating told news.com.au.

The British version of all All Together Now aired in the UK earlier this year and featured Geri Halliwell as the captain of the 100.

“I called her up and just said, ‘What do you think?’” Keating said about when he received the offer to star on the Aussie version.

“She had some really good ideas on what she saw. She felt that there in the UK, that they had enough of celebrities on their pedestal judging. It was an interesting comment and I liked that.

“She likes the way that the (other) 99, they’re not celebrities as such, they’re people who are successful in their own fields of entertainment but they’re not celebrities as such.

“I think punters coming out performing appreciated the fact that these were people on their level talking to them, rather than celebrities.

“I’m not talking down to people,” Keating said about his role on the show. “I just wanna be entertained and it’s been a good way to approach the show.”

Joining Keating as members of the 100 are Rhonda Burchmore, former CDB member Andrew De Silva, drag queen Minnie Cooper, plus gospel choir directors, rappers, a Michael Jackson impersonator and a Kylie Minogue impersonator.

EXTRAS

Ronan Keating said a couple of other things during his chat with news.com.au that are too good not to share.

Kyle Sandilands: Keating has known the KIIS FM breakfast host for years and they even worked together on The X Factor. But Sandilands has dissed Keating on-air a few times this year and has mocked the radio show Keating hosts in the UK.

“It looks awful,” Sandilands said about the Magic Breakfast show Keating hosts with Harriet Scott. “One of the worst radio shows I’ve ever seen.”

Was Keating surprised by the dis?

“Of course he did,” Keating said. “It’s the only way he gets listeners and it’s grand. I love him to bits. But he’s just jealous of the listenership I think, how many listeners I have in the UK.

“He’s a spiky motherf**ker,” he added. “You never know what you’re gonna get, but I love that about him.”

Haunted by his famous songs: Keating has sold more than 20 million solo records with hits including When You Say Nothing at All, If Tomorrow Never Comes and Life Is A Rollercoaster.

But the downside of being a famous singer is that people tend to play your songs wherever you go.

“It happens … in restaurants all the time,” Keating told news.com.au. “And if you walk into a clothes store people put it on.

“Three weeks ago my daughter wanted to go shopping with her best friend. She’s 12. We were in London, we’re out on Oxford Street and she wanted to go to Lush.

“We go into Lush … the two of them go off to buy their soap. I find a little seat in the corner, as dads do. I sit down and all of sudden Life Is A Rollercoaster comes on. Not only does it come on, they turn the volume up. This is on Oxford Street on a Saturday, busiest shop you can think of.

“The girls who work in the shop start laughing and they come over and start talking. I’m just mortified. I’m thinking, ‘Why are you doing this? Seriously.’

“My poor daughter, she was like, (in an embarrassed tone) ‘Dad!’”

All Together Now starts Sunday, October 7, at 7pm on Channel 7.

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