Clearly, Nancy Wilson is a rock goddess herself, so she’s the guitarist for rock band Heart and an expert on the rock and roll lifestyle. This is probably why Wilson wrote the music for “Almost Famous,” plus confirming that Billy Crudup and Jason Lee know how to not only look like their characters, but also act like their characters. To accomplish this, she launched her own Rock Star Bootcamp and put Crudup and Lee through rigorous training to teach them how to be a true rock’n’roller.
In a 2021 interview with Uproxx, Wilson explained: According to Wilson, rock school was especially important for Crudup, who had no previous guitar playing experience. “Other players were already players,” she explains.
In the film, Russell is known for his guitar playing, so it was absolutely crucial that Crudup could portray a talented guitarist convincingly on screen. The actor told Entertainment Weekly, “I’ve never played a guitar before, so it was really hard to fake it well. The character Russell was meant to be just okay.” The main challenge for me was finding flexibility and relaxation in a very uncomfortable and new environment.” did everything possible.