Entertainment
Hans Zimmer Reveals the A-List Stars Who “Bullied” Him Into Going on Tour [Exclusive]
It’s hard to believe, given that the man now regularly fills some of the world’s biggest arenas, but Hans Zimmer, one of the greatest composers of our time, may actually have a touch of stage fright. The composer behind some of the most famous scores to ever grace the big screen was perfectly comfortable letting his music speak for itself in multiplexes, but when it came to performing for audiences? That was a different matter entirely. In fact, getting him onto a stage required something approaching an intervention, and two of his extremely famous friends had some ideas.
Speaking exclusively with Collider, Zimmer revealed that Johnny Marr and Pharrell Williams effectively cornered him in his own studio and playfully “bullied” him into performing, arguing that it was time he shared his music directly with his audience. Stubborn as ever, Zimmer spent the next hour simply refusing until he was given a proposition that was too good to say no. He told Collider:
“I think I might have to drop some names here. It was probably about 12 years ago. Johnny Marr, the great Johnny Marr, and Pharrell Williams, two of my best friends, sat me down in this room on this red couch behind me. They sat a bit too close, so I couldn’t get up and I couldn’t escape. They said, ‘Hans, you’ve been sitting in this room for long enough. I think it’s time you actually looked the audience in the eye, did things in real time, and stopped hiding behind the screen.’ I said, ‘No, I can’t do that. I’ve got stage fright.’ But they kept pushing. Those two are quite powerful, persuasive guys. I kept saying no, and after an hour, they sort of gave up.”
Marr left the room. Williams, however, had one final trick up his sleeve: “Johnny walked out the door, and Pharrell leaned in and said, ‘I’m doing the Grammys this year. Why don’t you come and play guitar for me?’ Only an idiot is going to say no,” laughed Zimmer. “So I played guitar for Pharrell at the Grammys, and it was really good fun. After that, I went to Johnny and Pharrell and said, ‘Okay, I’ll go out there. I’ll do it. But for the first few shows, you have to come along and babysit me.’ So for those first few shows, I had Pharrell and Johnny with me.”
More than a decade later, there’s even a lovely bit of continuity. Zimmer now performs with Marr’s son, Nile Marr. “Now I have Nile Marr, Johnny’s son, with me, which is great, so it all stays in the family. We’re very international, and it’s people playing on these scores who know them intimately. Because they know them so well, they have the courage to throw a few things out, change a few things, and experiment. There’s something so different about standing in front of people, and they were right. It’s great. It’s important that you actually look an audience in the eye. At the same time, I have no safeguards, so it feels like we’re just having dinner and a bit of a chat.”
Hans Zimmer’s Audience Has Become Part of the Band
Image via Lee Kirby
When Collider asked what audiences gain from seeing the music performed rather than simply hearing it in a movie theater, Zimmer explained that his current ensemble is a lot smaller — intentionally so — than the orchestras he’s previously used for scores, but crucially, it’s filled with musicians he trusts. He explained:
“I don’t have the sheer number that I’ve used on some of these scores. I’ve got 19 people on stage at the moment, whereas my scores can be anything from just me playing the piano to 100 people in an orchestra. But I have 19 extraordinary musicians who I love. Lisa Gerrard, who I adore, and my friend Lebo M, who is the voice of The Lion King. I mean, he is The Lion King. Then there’s Guthrie Govan, who happens to be, to my mind, the best guitarist in the world. Being surrounded by friends and making music is wonderful, and at the same time, it feels like the audience becomes part of the band and part of the group of friends.”
That’s particularly fitting now. Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level has become one of the biggest productions of Zimmer’s touring career, with 50 sold-out European shows across 17 countries drawing around 600,000 people. Zimmer will bring the production to North America for the first time beginning February 17, 2027, in Hartford, Connecticut, before traveling across the United States and Canada through April.
Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level begins its North American run on February 17, 2027. Tickets go on general sale September 25 at 10 a.m. local time. Stay tuned at Collider for more.
- Release Date
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June 15, 1994
- Runtime
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89 minutes
- Director
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Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
- Writers
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Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton, Rick Maki, Jorgen Klubien, Chris Sanders, Joe Ranft, Thom Enriquez, Larry Leker, Barry Johnson, Francis Glebas, Burny Mattinson, Andrew Gaskill, Gary Trousdale, Lorna Cook, Tom Sito, Mark Kausler, Kevin Harkey, Ed Gombert, Jim Capobianco
- Producers
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Don Hahn
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Matthew Broderick
Simba (voice)
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