Elvis has entered the building. Baz Luhrmann’s new film, starring Austin Butler, spans the music legend’s career, including glimpses of his relationship with his mom, his perceived threat to American morality, and his romance with Priscilla.
"I'd hear him say a certain word and I would clip just that bit out so I knew how he said that word. I created my own archive of how he said every word and every diphthong, and the way that he used musicality in his voice." - Austin Butler on embodying Elvis Presley
Bringing such a well-known musician to life heaped pressure onto Butler. Luckily, he had an Oscar winner to turn to for advice. Butler says Hanks advised him to “try to read something, even if it’s 10 mins, from a book that has nothing to do with the job.”
"It's a three-act pop-cultural opera. This was about exploring America in the '50s and the '60s and the '70s, and Elvis was at the center of culture for the good, the bad, and the ugly in various ways." - director Baz Luhrmann
The soundtrack is on another level, including original songs and recordings by Eminem and CeeLo Green, Doja Cat, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, and Stevie Nicks. It also features Butler and Yola’s take on classic Presley and Sister Rosetta Tharpe songs.