Sir Paul McCartney has recalled how he made a personal plea to the director of upcoming films about the Beatles to not portray him smaller than John Lennon as they were similar heights in real life.

The 84-year-old is set to be portrayed by the Gladiator II star Paul Mescal in The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is being directed by Sir Sam Mendes.

But after being sent a recreation of the famous Abbey Road crossing, McCartney joked that he complained that Mescal was "markedly shorter" than the Lennon actor.

He told the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast that Mendes sought to reassure him by saying they were all the same size, and it was "just the stride pattern".

As well as Mescal, Barry Keoghan will play Sir Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson has been cast as John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison.

Each film, due to be released in 2028, will focus on a different member of the legendary group.

McCartney told Poehler it was "strange" to have seen depictions of the band in films over the years, but that his gripe with how tall he was being made to look began with the 2009 film Nowhere Boy.

"We were all the same height and Ringo was a bit smaller, but when Sam Taylor-Wood did Nowhere Boy, the John Lennon character was bigger than me in the film," he said.

"My character is wimpy and smaller than John, and is easily knocked to the floor."

He recalled getting in touch with Taylor-Wood to voice his thoughts.

"Her only explanation was that it was a movie, not a documentary, and I did not like that.

"There was me as little Paul, and John was a great big hero."

Fast forward to the production stages of the new films, and Mendes got in touch with McCartney to share some of the material.

McCartney joked: "Guess what? Mescal is smaller than the guy who plays John.

"[Sam] sent me a still of the filming they were doing of when they were crossing the Abbey Road crossing, and the Paul character is markedly smaller.

"I texted him saying: Sam, he's smaller. Don't do this," he laughed.

"He said it's okay, it's just the stride pattern, they're all equal."