Elton John fought studios to keep sex and drugs in Rocketman movie

Elton John. Photo / Getty Images

Clearly he's no stranger to a little sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

And Sir Elton John has revealed he had to fight studios to stop them whitewashing his decadent pursuits in the new film about his life.

The musician, 72, said he wanted Rocketman to be a truthful portrayal of his past – upsetting producers who had intended to cut more graphic scenes to open up the film to younger viewers.

"Some studios wanted to tone down the sex and drugs so the film would get a PG-13 rating. But I just haven't led a PG-13 life," he wrote in the Observer Magazine.

"I didn't want a film packed with drugs and sex but, equally, everyone knows I had quite a lot of both during the 70s and 80s, so there didn't seem to be much point in making a movie that implied that after every gig, I'd gone quietly back to my hotel room with only a glass of warm milk and the Gideon's Bible for company."

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But Sir Elton added that while his husband David Furnish had a hands-on role in producing the film, he decided he would himself keep a distance.

"I figured it would be uncomfortable for everyone to have the person the film was about lurking around," he said.