Elvis lives again with acclaimed portrayal by Austin Butler

LOS ANGELES, June 22 (Reuters) – Though critics appear to both love or hate movie director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis,” all of them agree on one factor: Austin Butler excels in his portrayal of the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’

Having began his profession enjoying background characters in Hollywood productions, Butler went on to get components in teen exhibits “Hannah Montana,” “iCarly,” and “Switched at Start,” earlier than touchdown a small half in “As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Now, he is breaking out the hip-swiveling strikes and the verbal cadence of Elvis Presley in Luhrmann’s musical movie in regards to the singer and actor’s trials and tribulations.

“I simply thought if I could not discover somebody to play Elvis, I would not do it,” Luhrmann instructed Reuters.

“(Butler) despatched this video in, which was not an audition, it was him breaking down as a result of he misplaced his mother the identical (age) as Elvis did and he had a nightmare and he goes downstairs and places the iPhone on and he sings ‘Unchained Melody’… his agent says ‘ship that to Baz’ and in order that begins the method however as soon as he got here in, he was type of down Elvis avenue once I met him.”

Nevertheless, Butler says he wasn’t as far “down Elvis avenue” as he would have appreciated when he began filming his first efficiency, a rendition of Presley’s 1968 televised live performance after a 12 months and a half of preparation.

“I felt a lot duty and what comes with that’s an unimaginable quantity of terror. I used to be so scared,” Butler stated.

“I bought on stage and the music began… I seemed down and noticed the leather-based on my arm and the rings on my fingers and it felt like I used to be searching of his eyes. It was essentially the most outstanding out-of-body expertise.”

After three years of embodying Elvis since his 2019 casting, Butler’s journey wrapped up on the movie’s world premiere on the Cannes Movie Competition in Could.

“I hadn’t seen the movie and it was half approach by way of act one and I simply took this enormous sigh and I simply felt this weight off of me,” he stated.

“Elvis” begins its world cinema rollout from Wednesday.

Reporting by Rollo Ross, Enhancing by Rosalba O’Brien

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