Grueling auditions, fierce competition from the world's biggest stars, and an endorsement
from Denzel Washington.
These facts about Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" will make your jaw drop.
Austin Butler hadn't given much thought to playing one of the world's most iconic figures
in music before 2018.
However, an Elvis Christmas song sparked something in him, as he told Deadline,
That friend was actually his then-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens, and she even suggested that
Butler should try to get the rights to write an Elvis biopic.
According to Butler, Hudgens brought up the idea again a few weeks later while he was
playing the piano, but he dismissed the suggestion.
A week later, his agent told him about Baz Luhrmann's movie, and Butler recalled to Deadline,
Austin Butler underwent a long audition process for "Elvis," which mostly consisted of him
reading the script and singing for Baz Luhrmann over and over again.
As he admitted on "The Kelly Clarkson Show,"
"We ended up doing that for five months.
It was unlike any audition."
Before that grueling process began, Butler sent the director a self-tape of himself playing
the piano and singing "Unchained Melody."
Prior to filming the tape, Butler discovered that Elvis' mom died when the superstar was
just 23-years-old.
Butler was the same age when he lost his mom, too, which of course influenced his performance.
The former Disney Channel star told Deadline,
The video was raw and emotional, and Luhrmann told Variety that he was blown away by Butler's performance.
Austin Butler faced some fierce competition for the role of Elvis.
Before he was officially in the running, Baz Luhrmann screen-tested many other actors and
singers, including Harry Styles.
In fact, Styles was reportedly one of the frontrunners for the role before Butler entered
the ring.
During an interview on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show, Styles explained,
Unfortunately, there was one major problem with casting the former One Direction singer.
Director Luhrmann explained to People,
Meanwhile, the casting agent for "Elvis" told Variety that there were other names in the
mix, too.
Firstly, Miles Teller, who showed off his musical chops by singing the rock and roll
hit "Great Balls of Fire" in "Top Gun: Maverick," was up for the part of Elvis.
Additionally, "West Side Story" star Ansel Elgort was reportedly on Luhrmann's radar
for the part.
Ultimately, though, Butler beat them all.
"Well I just felt so privileged to get to go on that journey with Baz, it was just the
time of my life, I felt so happy."
In an interview with Deadline, Austin Butler revealed that from the moment he heard about
the movie, he started prepping for his five-month-long audition process as though he'd already gotten
the role.
Acting like he was already making the movie was clearly a tactic that worked for the actor.
It also helped that Denzel Washington put in a good word for the young actor, with whom
he'd worked on a 2018 Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Luhrmann recalled,
"And he says, you're about to meet an actor I've been on stage with."
It seems that Butler lived up to Washington's recommendation, as he did nothing but live
as Elvis for the two years it took to film the biopic.
During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Butler admitted,
"Elvis" began pre-production in 2019.
After casting the film's stars, preparations were being made to begin filming in Australia
in March 2020.
However, everything came to a grinding halt when star Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson
tested positive for COVID-19.
Thankfully, the couple's symptoms weren't too severe, and they were able to return to
the United States two weeks later.
Like most people, Luhrmann didn't anticipate the longevity of the pandemic.
While Hanks and Wilson were in quarantine, and any cast and crew members who'd been in
contact with them were isolating, he tweeted,
While no other members of the cast or crew became infected with COVID-19, it was several
months before everyone was able to return to set.
Filming officially began on September 23, 2020.
At the time, Luhrmann said in a statement to Deadline,
Butler later confirmed to GQ that filming finished in March 2021.
Despite telling director Baz Luhrmann that he didn't really sing during one of his auditions,
Austin Butler ended up performing some of the King's iconic songs in "Elvis."
According to Deadline, Luhrmann planned to have a voice impersonator take over vocals
for Elvis' younger years because he wasn't able to use the original recordings for copyright reasons.
However, he was completely moved by Butler's abilities, telling Deadline,
It’s spine-tingling.
We just started riffing, and hours would go by."
As the movie progressed, Luhrmann decided to blend Butler's voice with the King's original
music to show how his voice changed over the years.
Composer Elliot Wheeler told Collider,
"There's people out there that say ever since I played Elvis, my voice has changed."
Despite its upbeat musical numbers, "Elvis" certainly couldn't be called a light-hearted feature.
The film makes it clear from the start that Elvis Presley didn't have it easy growing up.
For instance, Elvis had a big hole in his heart that came from losing his twin brother
at birth.
He also dealt with the shame of his father going to jail, and from being dirt poor for
a long period of time.
As director Baz Luhrmann told Deadline,
Luhrmann spent a lot of time researching Elvis as a person to make his movie more authentic,
even if it was uncomfortable.
As the director told Deadline,
As well as portraying the real Elvis, Baz Luhrmann wanted the movie to be a political commentary.
Speaking to GQ about the film, he explained,
The film contextualizes Elvis' role in so many historical moments, such as his reaction
to Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.
Additionally, Tom Hanks' character, Colonel Tom Parker, is an obvious commentary on greed
and corruption, with Luhrmann telling Deadline,
Becoming Elvis Presley is no easy task.
Along with studying the King's music and speech patterns, Austin Butler had to put in the
work to physically transform into the rock and roll legend.
Butler worked with a strength trainer who was instrumental in teaching him how to move
his body properly for the role.
This training went on for months, but once it came time for filming, Butler had to spend
his days in costume.
This meant getting Elvis' makeup and hair exactly right, a transformation alone that
took approximately four and a half hours to complete.
In addition to dying his hair, Butler went through six wigs while filming the feature.
In addition, the actor needed different prosthetics to play the music legend at different ages.
As the film's hair and makeup designer told PopSugar,
Baz Luhrmann knew that Austin Butler was the perfect choice to play Elvis.
However, Elvis' real-life ex-wife Priscilla Presley took a bit more convincing.
As Luhrmann admitted to Deadline,
However, after watching the film at the Cannes Film Festival, Priscilla was completely moved.
She praised Butler's performance in a private letter to Luhrmann, which he shared with Deadline,
saying,
In "Elvis," Baz Luhrmann weaves a tangled web of relationships, but in December 2022,
he told Deadline,
Of course, the depth of this addictive love is wholly apparent to viewers of the film,
and to Tom Hanks' character, who narrates "Elvis."
In one scene, Colonel Parker even points out how Elvis' love for Priscilla is nothing compared
to the love he feels from the audience.
Thus, the movie ends with Colonel Parker claiming that's ultimately what killed the superstar.
Austin Butler dedicated years of his life to learning everything he could about the
King of Rock and Roll.
That period of time was intense, both mentally and physically, so it's not surprising that
it changed him.
Speaking to Deadline, Butler revealed,
Playing the King has also had an impact on Butler's career.
As the New York Post wrote in a review of the movie,
Since "Elvis" came out, Butler has already proven that his star is most definitely on
the rise.
He has two feature films coming out in 2023 including "Dune: Part 2."
Speaking to GQ, director Baz Luhrmann compared Butler's continuing success to Leonardo DiCaprio's
after "Romeo and Juliet."
So, while Elvis may have left the building, Butler is here to stay.