‘Eddie Cochran: Don’t Forget Me’ Director Kirsty Bell on How Legendary Musician Influenced New Generation of ‘Rock Stars’ Like Yungblud

When pioneering producer and filmmaker Kirsty Bell embarked on a project centered on legendary American musician Eddie Cochran, her goal extended far beyond simply documenting his short-lived career. Reflecting on the artist's body of work—Cochran tragically passed away at just 21 years old while touring the UK in 1960—Bell felt a deep need to "bring him back to life." This mission culminated in "Eddie Cochran: Don't Forget Me," which serves as the closing film for this year's Raindance Film Festival. In an interview with Variety ahead of its UK premiere, Bell revealed that it was her producer, Ben Charles Edwards, who initially suggested Cochran as a potential subject for her next project. At that time, Bell, a seasoned producer, had recently taken a significant step forward in her career by directing her feature debut, the 2021 film "A Bird Flew In." "That film came from my brain and my heart, and I knew I wanted to link these two things again," she explained. "I wanted to go on an emotional journey, because that’s how I get my best stuff."

Bell, who founded Goldfinch Entertainment in 2016, was already familiar with and fond of Cochran's music, but she quickly discovered that her knowledge of his life was quite limited. "There were so many things that linked him to modern-day music," she recalled. "I have this pad on my desk where I note down ideas and I just started scribbling thoughts around his name. Suddenly, this mind map of him appeared, linking him basically to everyone and everything that has happened in music after. That blew me away." Once Bell decided to tell the story of this "trailblazer," she was determined not to create "an ordinary documentary" that merely involved "talking to a bunch of musicians about Eddie’s songs they have covered." "This is about legacy," she emphasized, explaining how she collaborated closely with executive producer Michelle Arnusch to secure a diverse range of interviewees who could illustrate Cochran's lasting influence. One prominent figure featured heavily in the film is actor Kiefer Sutherland, a devoted fan of Cochran's work. "We wanted to get people who were either deeply influenced by Eddie or who knew him, and Kiefer is a great example because, through my research, I found out he was supposed to have played Eddie in a biopic when he was only 18 or 19 years old," Bell noted. "The film was cancelled, but Kiefer remained a fan. He has such a brilliant mind and is also a musician, so it was perfect."

Alongside Sutherland, the documentary boasts an impressive lineup of contributors, including Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, John Waters, Roger Daltrey, Cliff Richard, and Yungblud. Regarding the latter, Bell mentioned that the young English musician "was always on her list." She recalled attending one of his concerts at the Royal Albert Hall before he achieved major international fame and being amazed by his devoted fanbase. "All of them looked like they were part of a gang, like they knew something about each other. They were all dressed similarly, all bound together. Before Yungblud became famous, I remember thinking: This is a young Eddie. He’s got this tribe, and they support him wherever he goes. He’s a modern rock star." Observing Yungblud's fans inspired Bell to gain access to hundreds of fan letters written to Cochran, which became a crucial element of the film. From a stylistic perspective, Bell was determined to "bring Eddie back to life." "The only way I could do that was by doing the reconstructions because there is hardly any video footage of him around the world," she explained. She cast Jack Harris to portray Cochran in these reenactments, recreating pivotal moments from the musician's life as he evolved from a struggling singer trying to get his songs on the radio to experiencing an Elvis-like frenzy of adoration. Notably, Cochran's 1958 hit "Summertime Blues" remains a rockabilly classic, and his innovative use of multi-tracking in the studio influenced countless artists who followed.

Bell stressed that none of this would have been possible without the support of Cochran's family. When asked about her relationship with Eddie's living relatives, she admitted that it was "very difficult to start with" because the team "didn’t know the pathway to them very well, and we knew other people had approached them in the past and they refused." Bell then reached out to renowned US entertainment lawyer Sindee Levin, described as "the Cochran family’s gatekeeper and Hollywood amazingness." Their initial hour-long meeting led Levin to introduce Bell to Patty Hickey, Cochran's only surviving sibling. "We showed them a very early teaser we put together and were sending out to potential contributors, and she just burst into tears." Despite this warm reception, Bell was still anxious about showing the completed film to Cochran's family. "I was terrified for them to watch the film because what if they felt I hadn’t portrayed something correctly? What if they thought I was being insulting or that it wasn’t good enough? That’s why we sent the film to them right away. And they made a family thing out of watching it. We had to wait, and when they came back to say how much they loved it, it was a huge relief because they are the only people I need to please."

Regarding the honor of closing the Raindance Film Festival, Bell expressed being "astounded" to be invited back five years after "A Bird Flew In" also premiered there. "You think making a documentary might mean it won’t get to a wider audience, but to have someone see it as a bigger thing and to have it close a festival with two major screenings shows you that making independent films is about the product that creates appeal to the widest audience you can get." The screening carries additional significance as Cochran will receive a posthumous Raindance Icon Award, presented to his sister and niece, which is set to be displayed alongside his original Gretsch guitar and other trophies at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. As "Don't Forget Me" continues its journey through the festival circuit, Bell is already contemplating her next move. "I’ve written a script for another drama feature, but there are a couple of documentaries that have come my way and have interesting human subjects," she shared. "I obviously got Goldfinch and everything that comes with it, but directing-wise, the next step is to link what I did with 'A Bird Flew In' and 'Eddie' and see what I can produce that feels like a next level up from that. I am not going to be directing a film every single year, so I need it to be something that will build on both of those." "Eddie Cochran: Don't Forget Me" is produced by Goldfinch Entertainment in partnership with the Cochran family estate and Universal Music Enterprises, with Fremantle handling international distribution.