From the first moment that the specialized press had access to ‘Elvis’, Austin Butler has not stopped raining compliments. The 10-minute ovation that the film received in Cannes is cited, but in truth this film has not managed to harvest a unanimous sentiment in the critics. Butler escapes this, of course, an actor who has completely made the leap from the shadow of the most secondary roles, to a spectacular protagonist.
From the hand of Baz Luhrmann, director of films such as ‘Moulin Rouge’ or ‘The Great Gatsby’, said young performer has achieved the impossible: reincarnate the King of Rock. Thus the story told by Schuyler Weiss, producer of the film, has had a happy ending, something that the team was not sure of at first. Weiss uses exactly that adjective, “impossible”to talk about one of the most important tasks of production: finding an actor capable of giving life to such a titan of the music industry, a myth that marked a before and after. In conversation with the Australian outlet The AU Review (via Slashfilm), this producer comments that, after seeing hundreds of imitators, came to the conclusion that what the protagonist of ‘Elvis’ does has nothing to do.
Weiss stresses that Butler “personifies Elvis revealing his inner life and his humanity, something that has a lot to do with reaching beyond. I’ve worked with a lot of Elvis impersonators during the development of this movie, but there’s a big difference in what Austin is capable of. That was the impossible part of the task when choosing the protagonist“explains the filmmaker, highlighting that Butler he always went one step further with his interpretation of the singer.
Weiss also talks about the pressure they felt thinking about how to pay tribute to such a beloved artist, especially in the eyes of his family. “We didn’t want to disappoint you. [no logrando hacer justicia a] something that is so real to them. Elvis is an icon for many people, but in his case he is a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend. He was brilliant and gorgeous, but flawed and complicated.. To disappoint [a sus seres queridos] it would have been awful”.
“They weren’t technically involved in the movie, but Baz [Luhrmann] contacted Priscilla, Lisa-Marie, and Riley, and they were all very nice and understanding, but have not intervened. I think there was some hesitation at first, so after showing the film to the family members, we have received your support, it is incredibly gratifying. I think that sends a clear message to Elvis fans.”.
being the king
To embody someone like Elvis you have to throw yourself, something that Austin Butler has not been able to measure up to. The actor says that during the production he did not know how to find the balance, so now he is trying to come to his senses and recover time with his family. “Last night I apologized to my sister for having disappeared for two years”he says in statements to Collider.
Two years during which Butler has been Elvis in body and soul, hence he is not only trying to reconnect with his family, but with himself. “I’m still looking for myself. It took at least two months for me to feel anything close to ‘normal’ after we finished filming. I had never done anything that pushed me to put my life aside. I didn’t see my family, or my friends. I didn’t see anyone during the two years that I was shooting the film or working on it. That’s why you don’t know what to do with yourself when you’re done. it’s really strange“.
‘Elvis’ can only be seen in theaters from this Friday June 24.
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