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Does Leo Woodall really play piano in ‘Tuner’?
28 May 2026, 15:39
Leo Woodall on learning to play piano for new film 'Tuner'
The British actor shares how much he enjoyed learning piano for his new film, which sees him star across from Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu.
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Actor Leo Woodall has revealed just how much of his piano-playing in the music-centred heist thriller Tuner is real.
In the movie, directed by Daniel Roher, the 29-year-old One Day and Bridget Jones star takes on the role of Niki White, a gifted but troubled piano tuner whose rare condition, acute hyperacusis, means that everyday sounds are painfully loud.
Forced to abandon his career as a classical pianist, Niki pours his talents into a more ear-friendly one tuning instruments, under the tutelage of Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), who is grappling with his own hearing loss.
But Niki’s extraordinary ear takes him into dangerous territory when a criminal gang realise his skills could also make him an expert in cracking safes.
Read more: Musician trolls piano tuner by swapping his piano strings with guitar strings
Watch the trailer for Tuner
Did Leo Woodall actually play piano on Tuner?
To bring the role to life, Woodall, who studied drama at Arts Ed in Chiswick, underwent months of intensive daily piano training alongside co-star Havana Rose Liu who plays Ruthie, a budding pianist and composer studying at the local conservatoire.
Despite portraying a virtuoso, Woodall admits he definitely isn’t one. “I was absolutely hopeless,” he told Classic FM. “I had learned tunes before. I could only do them one-handed.”
He also shared that portraying Niki in ‘Tuner’ gave him the opportunity to learn a new skill: “I was always sort of drawn to [the piano] and I always wanted to be able to play it. So this film was a gift to get to be able to do that. It was really fun and fulfilling.”
Read more: Does Will Sharpe really play the piano in Amadeus?
By the time filming began, he says: “There was always a piano on set, so I got to sort of muck around and annoy everyone on the set by playing whatever tune I wanted to. I mean, I only had like three in my head, the main one being Interstellar.”
