Stars from "In His Life: The John Lennon Story," (airing December 3rd at 9:00 PM on NBC), Phillip McQuillan (John Lennon) and Daniel McGowan (Paul McCartney), chat about what it was like to play two of the most important and interesting musicians of the 20th century.

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NBCLive: Welcome to a very special evening as we are joined by two of the stars of "In His Life--The John Lennon Story," a new film premiering on Dec. 3 at 9 PM on NBC. With us we have Phillip McQuillan starring in his first role as John Lennon, and Daniel McGowan who played the part of Paul McCartney. Please join us in welcoming Phillip McQuillan and Daniel McGowan! Welcome gentlemen!

Hippie: After having played John Lennon, do you have a different appreciation for him as an artist and as a person?

Phillip McQuillan: I do now, because I didn't realize he had particular relationships with his family. What I mean is that I wasn't aware of his family life until I made this movie. It has made me appreciate more where the man came from.

Virtual Mirage: How do you feel, honestly, that this movie will give us an insight to their lives?

Daniel McGowan: I think it will give a really good insight into the early days of John Lennon and the Beatles. From my experience before making the movie, I didn't really know anything about the Beatles other than things starting with Beatlemania and forward. I think this movie, because it is so factual and precise, gives a really good insight into the early days and the formative years of John Lennon.

A Be Line: Do you think this movie will bring back the their popularity full swing? Not that anyone has forgotten the Beatles! But do you think most of America will tune in to watch?

Phillip McQuillan: My answer to that is that their popularity will always remain the same, but maybe now people will appreciate how they grew as young men together. What I mean by that is the relationship stuff. For example, the relationship John had with his mother, his aunt, when he first met Cynthia, Paul, and Brian Epstein. Eventually we will see how Brian turned them into the first boy band.

Daniel McGowan: I think that there's always a continuing strong core of popularity for the Beatles. Every so often, there is a resurgence. At the moment, you can see this with the "Anthology" book and their new album being #1 in every country. And yes, everyone in America will watch this movie, hopefully.

Allison: How many hours did you have to work on the set for this movie?

Phillip McQuillan: 16 hour days sometimes. Sometimes I had a half-day, which was 10 hours.

Daniel McGowan: The whole filming process took place over a period of just over 4 weeks, so by movie standards, that is really pushing it. Usually they are 6-8 weeks, sometimes more.

Phillip McQuillan: We both had fun, and we think our performance has benefited because of the fact that we used real locations.

Rob: What obstacles, if any, did you have in making this movie?

Daniel McGowan: The first real obstacle was the fact that normally I play the guitar right handed, but because I was playing Paul McCartney, I had to learn left-handed which was really difficult. I had to switch my brain around and then I had to work on just the actual playing. In particular, filming the music scenes was quite tough because I had to think about what I was playing with my hands, the lyrics of the song, the actions, and any dialog in between the lyrics, as well as having to be aware of where the camera was. So there were all these things that were made difficult because I had to play left handed.

Phillip McQuillan: For me, the only obstacle was getting used to working technically as an actor, rather than just performing and not paying attention to the technical side of shooting. But I adjusted to it within a week. We had a week of preparation before the 4-week shoot, and that gave me plenty of time to get used to working technically as well as performing, because you have to do entertainment.

Alpha: What was the set setting like? Did you have a lot of fun making this movie? Anything interesting or funny happen while filming?

Phillip McQuillan: When we did a scene in The Cavern, we did a song called "Roll Over Beethoven," and we experienced that as one of the most energetic and passionate moments of the movie where we had everybody in rapture. Everyone was full of energy and really positively happy that day. But I found out afterwards that there were some people there who had seen the Beatles 30 years ago, and they felt like they were in the Twilight Zone when they saw us because we were realistic.

Daniel McGowan: That day in the tavern was the most fun for us. The extras were brilliant. They were all dressed in 60s costumes, screaming, jumping to the music, waving. It was a really good day!

Phillip McQuillan: It was Rock 'n' Roll!

Coffee Addict: Did you both feel the spirit of the band when you were making this film?

Daniel McGowan: Yes. Definitely. That came a lot from the locations we used, because they were all the real locations that the Beatles used, like The Cavern and John Lennon's house. You could really feel their presence still there which was great and really helped us. But also in front of the cameras as a group we bonded together.

Phillip McQuillan: We got a small taste of what it would have been like in Beatlemania together, as actors, musicians, and performers. We actually got a little taste of what it was like to be them. I hadn't felt the experience of teenage autographs before, so I could relate to how the Beatles would have felt. Obviously they were on a much larger level.

Sweetie Jules: What do you think will be revealed by this movie that most people didn't really know about?

Phillip McQuillan: The relationships that John had early on in his life. The way he was torn at 4-5 years of age between his mother and his father, and he had to make a choice. He chose his mother, but as a child it was a tough decision and he had to live with it for the rest of his life. He could have moved to New Zealand with his father, and he would have done something different. He was very confused about that. Inside his head were a lot of disturbing emotional feelings, so it was hard for him to be loving to people sometimes. The worst thing was his experience that the people he loved in his life died on him. His uncle died. His mother was killed by an off-duty policeman. How can somebody live with that? It's very difficult and John had his way of dealing with that. That will be portrayed in the movie. John used rock 'n' roll as an escape and a way to project his artistic ability.

Daniel McGowan: You learn a lot about the relationships that he had with other people, and you also learn a lot about the early years of the Beatles. How John started off, and Paul McCartney joined, and then George Harrison, and then they go off to Hamburg. There is a lot that is known on only a small level by only a few people.

Phillip McQuillan: I think that everyone should enjoy that we get to relive John Lennon's first ever gig with the Quarrymen, where he meets Paul McCartney for the first time.

Nikki362000: Have you both watched the finished product?

Phillip McQuillan: Daniel and I have only seen the rough cut of the film because producers are filling the studio with the polish!

Daniel McGowan: They are putting the finishing touches to some of the color and just enhancing certain levels, and things like that.

Diva: What do you think John Lennon would be doing today if he were still alive?

Phillip McQuillan: Still making music. He could possibly even be a politician. In my opinion John Lennon, especially in the 70s, became a sponge. He just soaked up all of this information around him and he had a way of dealing with people, which mean that John had a good ability to portray his thoughts and to encourage people. Those are the qualities of leaders.

Daniel McGowan: I think that Phil is right. If not a politician, then some kind of figure in the main issues that involve everyone; speaking out against war and inhuman activities and those things that go on.

Phillip McQuillan: If John Lennon were still alive, he possibly could have exercised enough influence to maybe change things. His untimely demise left a scar on the world.

Brit: Growing up, what did the Beatles mean to you both?

Daniel McGowan: They meant an awful lot. My parents were big Beatles fans, so when I was growing up, there was always Beatles music in the background. I think anybody who likes music cannot help but love the Beatles because they have such a legacy in the musical world. Pretty much every band since then has been influenced by them.

Phillip McQuillan: My two uncles reminded me of John and Paul because every time they went to a party they played guitars and sang Beatles music. I've always had music in my blood. Plus the fact that--did you know--John Lennon's grandfather was Irish?

Sweetie Jules: Did you have to audition for the parts, or were you just 'discovered’?

Daniel McGowan: Yeah, we had to audition. NBC initially held open auditions in London and Liverpool. They wanted unknown people to go along and try out for the roles of the Beatles, so people had to play a song with a casting agent. In my case, I went to one in London and then was called back to two more in Liverpool. On the second one in Liverpool, the prospective candidates made a tape, which was sent to the producers of NBC for the final say.

Phillip McQuillan: They looked at about 5,000 different John Lennon candidates in England and in Scotland. So they came to the Republic of Ireland to my acting skill college, and had an open day audition where I became first acquainted with the Executive Producer and the Director. This meeting catapulted me to Liverpool to start working on the film.

Sweetie Jules: What scene was most difficult for you to film?

Phillip McQuillan: I can't really specify what scene was most difficult, because they all required a specific amount of work and a lot of energy. I tried to give every scene its merit, so I can't specify one scene. Because of the long days that we worked, it was a demanding film, but I had a lot of fun.

Daniel McGowan: I would agree with Phillip. Certain things were more demanding, like where I had to play guitar left-handed. It was still fun playing the songs and jumping around on stage. In between takes, we would jam together and play Beatles songs.

Phillip McQuillan: The only thing that stood against us was the weather.

Beatles Forever: Your favorite Beatles song is? Both of you?

Phillip McQuillan: "Revolution" because I am a rebel!

Daniel McGowan: I think the Beatles' music is so varied; you can have a different song depending on your mood. But I think something like "Across the Universe" or "Hey Jude" would be my favorites.

Phillip McQuillan: The reason why I like "Revolution" is because it was the song that introduced me to the Beatles for the first time, which led to me getting my first guitar from my mother for my birthday. That was in 1985 or 1986.

Tx Tata: Are the voices your own when singing the songs, and did you receive any special training?

Phillip McQuillan: We did our own vocals in this movie. We were musicians really as well as actors, which helped us obviously in the movie.

Daniel McGowan: When it came to filming the music scenes, because time was short, we had a track which we mimed along to. But in postproduction we did all of our own vocals.

Maggie1977: I love the Beatles, and I watch anything that has to do with them--movies, VH1 specials, etc. Was it difficult for both Phillip and Daniel to transform into two legends?

Phillip McQuillan: We rose to the challenge, I like to think. We knew it would be difficult and people would have their own interpretation of these characters. We had to rise to the challenge in order to do this well.

Daniel McGowan: If we kept that thought in our heads, the thought that everybody knows the Beatles and knows what they are like, then it would play on our minds and possibly put us off from doing a good performance. So we just looked at the task at hand, did our research, and gave it our all.

Virtual Mirage: How much research did you need to do on your characters and how much do you actually remember about them?

Daniel McGowan: The good thing is that because the Beatles are so popular, we got to know them. We looked at concert footage and their live performances to get their visual manners. We watched their movie "A Hard Day's Night" to get the way they spoke and carried themselves. And we read some books.

Phillip McQuillan: I agree.

Daniel McGowan: I guess we remember quite a lot. There was a lot in the movie as well which is fact-based. We have retained a lot of information about them and their lives.

Shelly: How are you like your characters?

Daniel McGowan: We had to be to a certain extent in that we can play music and sing, and we look like them.

Phillip McQuillan: In order to play these characters effectively, you have to reach inside yourself and find what you have in common with the character, and as an actor you have to portray that. On a personal note, I can relate to John Lennon because I admired his courage and charisma, and I like to think I possess those qualities.

Jodilyn: How excited were you when you found out you had the parts to play these guys? And was it a lot of pressure for you?

Phillip McQuillan: I was very, very, very excited because it was a break in my career as an actor…and to play John Lennon! My uncle loved him so much when he played in a similar band in Ireland in the ‘60s. Also, when I was learning the guitar as a youth, I learned from Beatles songs and had a likeness to John Lennon. Because of that, the attitude and performance in this film, I was absolutely delighted.

Daniel McGowan: I was really excited for similar reasons. It was an intensely important role because the character is so well known. It's a big production and I knew it would be a great experience, which it was. And my family was very excited. My mother used to have lots of posters of Paul McCartney on her wall.

Phillip McQuillan: For the audience--would you like to see a mini-series on the Beatles? Or John and Paul, particularly?

Forrest Dump: What did your friends think?

Phillip McQuillan: Too rude to put on the Internet! They were all very happy for me, especially my family, because they all felt it was the ideal way of making your debut on television. And in a funny way, they are really jealous of me!

Daniel McGowan: It's a mixture of comical jealousy and pride and happiness.

Big Nut: After having played the Beatles, do you wish you were them?

Phillip McQuillan: The answer to that is, I don't wish I were anybody else, because everybody should have a sense of identity and originality. If I would go around wishing that I were other people, I couldn't live my life. But if you mean the fame and fortune, definitely!

Daniel McGowan: It would be great to have 750 million pounds like Paul McCartney has, but as myself!

Phillip McQuillan: No matter how much you do like something or somebody, I don't wish to ever clone myself in the glory that somebody else has worked hard for. If I am going to get recognition, I would like to achieve that through my own hard work.

Beffie: Where else can we hear your music? Has either of you made an album?

Daniel McGowan: I haven't made an album. It is something I've always wanted to do. I would like to shut myself away in a studio for a month.

Phillip McQuillan: I was in the process of finishing my first album when I got the lead part for John Lennon, so I wasn't quite finished but I will get back to it.

Daniel McGowan: I've got a few songs that I've done, but they are in my head at the moment.

Phillip McQuillan: After this movie, if you like what you see, send me an email if you want to hook up with Daniel and me to start a new band, with original material.

NBC Live: We've had a wonderful time tonight, but it seems our time is up. Would either of you like to leave us with some final thoughts?

Phillip McQuillan: Tune in on Sunday because you might learn something about the Beatles that you have never known before. Also, this film is played from a dramatic point of view, so you should appreciate the Beatles more after watching this film.

Daniel McGowan: I just hope that everyone watches it and enjoys it, and that it might push someone off into thinking about a musical career. I hope it gives someone the incentive to take up music in the same way that the Beatles did. Follow the dream, so to speak.

NBC Live: Thank you so much Phillip and Daniel for chatting with us tonight. We hope you had as good a time as we did. And don't forget, "In His Life--The John Lennon Story" will air on Sunday Dec. 3 at 9 PM on NBC. For more information on this incredible motion picture event, please log on to www.nbci.com/lennon. Goodnight! Produced by NBCi and Talk City, Inc. Copyright 2000. All rights