Austin Butler had many life-changing experiences embodying Elvis Presley while filming the Baz Luhrmann biopic Elvis over two years. However, there was none more profound than when the actor recorded Presley’s hits with the same session musicians and gospel singers the king used. Butler admitted, “I got chills” while recording the entertainer’s classic hits as part of the film’s soundtrack.
Austin Butler took a year of voice coaching to sound like Presley
Before filming commenced, Butler utilized a vocal coach to sound as much like Presley as possible. In an attempt to make his characterization of the King as close as possible, the actor learned as much as he could about the way Presley spoke, the way he sang, and phrased the iconic music featured in Elvis.
The film will feature a mix of Butler singing and Presley.
Butler sang Presley’s most unforgettable songs for the singer’s early years.
However, a mix of Butler and Presley’s voices made the music sound as close to the singer’s older years as possible.
“For maybe a year before we even started shooting, I was doing six, seven days a week of voice coaching and working with different experts and just trying to get the register to be in the right place and the dialect and the way Elvis inflects and everything,” Butler explained.
“Ultimately, we realized the life is what’s important,” the actor shared.
“You can impersonate anybody. But to find the humanity, life, passion, and the heart was different. I had to release myself from the constraints of that.”
The actor admits ‘I got chills’ while recording Presley’s most unforgettable tunes
In a story published by The Huntington News, Butler stated that he and Luhrmann spent time in Nashville recording with gospel singers and original Elvis session musicians.
Butler admitted the experience was profound.
“I stook in the center, and tears just poured down my face, and I got chills down my spine. It was a glorious experience,” Butler claimed.
Austin Butler said that he felt somewhat like an imposter while portraying Presley
In the early days of filming, Butler claimed he felt like an imposter while embodying Presley’s persona.
“When you’re a kid, and you put on your father’s suit and the sleeves are much too long, and the shoes are like boats on your feet,” he explained.
“How could I do anything but feel like less than this superhuman individual?” Butler continued.
“Ultimately, I had to unleash myself from the constraints of (impersonation) and try to live the life as fully as possible. To find the life within and the passion and the heart,” Butler concluded.
The one surprising thing that drew Austin Butler to tackle ‘Elvis’ biopic
Butler explained there was one thing that surprisingly drew him to the role of the King of Rock and Roll, and it had nothing to do with the entertainer’s movies or music.
“I don’t remember a moment in my life where Elvis wasn’t a part of it,” he shared in an interview with Nelson George.
“I remember my grandmother watching his films when I was a kid. ‘Blue Suede Shoes’: I don’t even remember the first time I heard it,” Butler explained.
“That’s the one thing about Elvis; he’s become the wallpaper of society. He’s such a superhuman figure,” the actor concluded.
Elvis hits theaters on June 24.
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