News | Entertainment
29 Mar 2024 20:30
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Austin Butler says he put his "life on pause for two years" to prepare to play Elvis Presley

    The 'Elvis' star put a priority on getting into character and "absorbed everything" that he "possibly could" to bring his best work to the biopic of the King of Rock'n'Roll helmed by Baz Luhrmann


    Speaking at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (26.05.22), the 30-year-old actor told reporters: "I basically put the rest of my life on pause for two years and I just absorbed everything I possibly could."

    Austin admitted to going "down the rabbit hole of obsession" to get to grips with the 'Can't Help Falling in Love' legend.

    He said: "I just went down the rabbit hole of obsession. And I broke down his life into periods of time where I could hear the differences in how his voice changed over the years and how his movement changed over the years and I spent two years studying, trying to find his humanity as best as I could through that."

    The 'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood' found it "tricky" to find the human aspect to Elvis as he is such an pop culture icon.

    Austin said: "The tricky thing is you see Elvis as this icon, or as the wallpaper of society and finding a way to strip all of that away and find the very human nature of him that was deeper than all of that, that's what was fascinating for me."

    Austin loved getting into the role, labelling it a "joy".

    He said: "The ability to get to explore that was just the joy of my life."

    Austin spoke about the "unrealistic expectations" he placed on himself to bring Elvis to life.

    He said: "When I first started, I put these unrealistic expectations on myself that somehow, if I worked hard enough, I could make my face identical to Elvis' face. And that my eyes would look exactly like Elvis' eyes and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

    The former 'the Carrie Diaries' star watched some clips of Elvis "over and over and over", such as his television performances from the 50s.

    Austin said: "I would watch Milton Berle 'Hound Dog. I watched one second of this clip over and over and over, looking at what his eyes were doing and the angle of his head, what his hand was doing and try to find it exactly and practice that until it was in my marrow, and then the tricky thing is being able to be there on the day and have it feel like it's happening for the first time and that it's spontaneous."

    Austin compared getting character as Elvis - who died in 1977 - to "spinning plates".

    He said: "It's like spinning plates, because you want to go back to the specifics. And so it was this constant back and forth.

    "Someone asked me yesterday, 'Did you watch playback when you were filming?' I said there were certain moments like, watching 'Hound Dog,'

    we did one take and I went back and I watched it, and I thought, 'I'm doing too much,' so then you strip it back, strip it back and try to get to the point where you have to get through the nerves of it and just feel alive."

    The 'Dune: Part Two' star wanted to "justice" for his legacy and his family - his daughter Lisa Marie Presley, 54, her mother and Elvis' ex Priscilla Presley, 7x, and his granddaughter Riley Keough, 32 - and admitted being "overjoyed" pleasing them with his performance.

    Austin said: "I've lived him now for three years, so the feeling of doing him justice, justice to his legacy and really bring life to this extraordinary man, and to make Lisa Marie and Priscilla and Riley and the entire family proud, I cannot be more overjoyed, and I just feel over the moon about that."

    © 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     29 Mar: Eva Mendes has branded her mum "incredible" for retaining her sense of humour during her battle with cancer
     29 Mar: Katie Maloney doesn't "hang out" with her 'Vanderpump Rules' co-stars
     29 Mar: Jessica Chastain found it "difficult" to film 'Mothers' Instinct' with her showbiz pal Anne Hathaway
     29 Mar: Queen Camilla hosted authors and actors at a star-studded event in London to celebrate reading
     29 Mar: Simon Cowell has adopted another puppy just months after he brought home a new German Shepherd called Pebbles
     29 Mar: Tracee Ellis Ross has paid a glowing birthday tribute to Diana Ross
     29 Mar: YouTube star Ninja has been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 32
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Matakana Smokehouse in its recall of a specific batch of two of its salmon products because of the possible presence of Listeria More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Eva Mendes has branded her mum "incredible" for retaining her sense of humour during her battle with cancer 20:23

    Rugby League:
    NRL Good Friday: Bulldogs take on desperate Rabbitohs, Broncos renew rivalry with Cowboys 20:07

    Entertainment:
    Katie Maloney doesn't "hang out" with her 'Vanderpump Rules' co-stars 19:53

    Entertainment:
    Jessica Chastain found it "difficult" to film 'Mothers' Instinct' with her showbiz pal Anne Hathaway 19:23

    Rugby:
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Queen Camilla hosted authors and actors at a star-studded event in London to celebrate reading 18:53

    Law and Order:
    A man's due in court tomorrow facing a murder charge, after a body was found in a burnt-out car in Longlands, Hastings 18:47

    Business:
    New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Matakana Smokehouse in its recall of a specific batch of two of its salmon products because of the possible presence of Listeria 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Simon Cowell has adopted another puppy just months after he brought home a new German Shepherd called Pebbles 18:23

    Entertainment:
    Tracee Ellis Ross has paid a glowing birthday tribute to Diana Ross 17:53


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd