While there have been countless Elvis impersonators, Priscilla Presley says Austin Butler’s take would have particularly impressed the King.
Warner Bros.
Actor Austin Butler has scored praise from the Presley family for his unforgettable performance as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, but what would the king himself think of the film? Previously, Priscilla Presley has said great things about Butler’s performance. Luhrmann has also said that the best review he’d gotten that meant more to him than any others was from the “woman who was married to Elvis Presley.”
Per Deadline, Luhrmann spoke more about the Presley family’s reaction to Butler as Elvis. He reveals how Priscilla was initially apprehensive, wondering how the “skinny” young actor would be able to convincingly portray the love of her life who was, in many ways, larger than life itself. As Luhrmann recalls of Priscilla first learning about the casting:
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“I really mean this with great respect, because now we’re like family, but she got a little bit vocal about her doubts. She said, ‘I don’t know, this film could be crazy. Baz can be wackadoo. And how can this skinny kid play Elvis?’”
Luhrmann explains how the real man Priscilla knew wasn’t like the caricature of Elvis that had been created in fiction and through impersonations. That made Luhrmann understand the family’s apprehension toward having his story told with Elvis, though he got them on board when they heard about what he planned to do with the film.
“Elvis had become wallpaper. He was sort of a Halloween costume. But to his family, he was always a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a person. There were things that were going to be difficult for them to see about Elvis, but they were also going to see the humanity and true spirituality of him, which was the most important thing.”
Related: Guillermo del Toro Celebrates Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as One of 2022’s Best Films
The Real Elvis Would Have Been Thrilled
Warner Bros. Pictures
In addition to praising Elvis publicly, Priscilla had also sent Luhrmann a letter personally after seeing the film. Luhrmann says that he doesn’t want to disclose everything that was written in the letter, but he does reveal what Priscilla says about how the real Elvis would have thought about Austin Butler’s portrayal. Given how much the performance impressed Priscilla herself, she imagines that the late singer himself would have been just as much so, picturing clearly how the king would have reacted. As Luhrmann explains:
“I won’t share all of it, but the key thing she said was, ‘My whole life I’ve had to put up with people impersonating my husband, and I don’t know how that boy did it, but every move, every wink… If my husband was here, he’d say, ‘Hot damn, you are me.’”
Butler has drawn widespread praise elsewhere as well. There has been a lot of chatter about him possibly going up for Best Actor at the Oscars in 2023. Should that happen, it would be very well deserved, given the accolades Butler has drawn straight from the person who knew Elvis Presley better than anyone else.
You can stream Elvis on HBO Max.
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