Who Will Play Keith Richards in the Jimi Hendrix Biopic?

Famous people know other famous people. Whether it’s because they rose to fame together or mingled once they had achieved star status, the cultural “gods” among us tend to travel in packs. That means that Rolling Stones guitarist and all-around rock ‘n roll badass Keith Richards is a character in the upcoming Jimi Hendrix biopic ‘All Is By My Side‘ and the role has just been cast.

Filling the shoes of the famous rocker will be young actor Ashley Charles, whose incredibly bare IMDB page suggests that this role has the potential to be his big break. He will be acting alongside hip-hop artist Andre 3000, who will be playing Hendrix, and Hayley Atwell (the gorgeous love interest from ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’), who will be playing Linda Keith, Richards’ girlfriend. According to music history/legend, Linda helped inspire Hendrix’s musical career before she left Richards for him.

Our first reaction based on the headshots on his IMDB page is that Charles is a little too traditionally handsome to play Richards, who looked a little rough around the edges even when he was young (see: The Image At The Top Of This Post). Unless they’re planning to take the pretty off Charles’ face through the power of modern movie make-up, expect a more good-looking Keith Richards than you’re used to.

However, looks ultimately had nothing to do with Richards’ (and by extension, the Rolling Stones’) appeal. They were sexy because they played incredible, bluesy rock music, not because they looked like something out of ‘Twilight’ (sorry, Ashley Charles, but you do). Although this is technically going to be a movie about Jimi Hendrix, expect plenty of people to be judging this cinematic version of Keith Richards with a harsh, critical eye. Such is the case when you play a genuine living legend.