Austin Butler‘s emotional portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis took audiences through a vulnerable and authentic look at the very human heart behind the larger-than-life persona of The King. Butler tapped into a previously undiscovered version of the iconic musician for the project, and it’s a testament to his resolve as an actor. With the Oscars just days away, we’re looking back at one of the most influential projects of the last year and the actor who made it happen.
Butler’s dedication to becoming Elvis was next level, so much so that you almost forgot you were watching a version of his story. Instead, it felt like we were given taped scenes from several chapters of the icon’s life. Audiences had a front-row seat to the devastation he felt when his mother died and the highs and lows of his marriage to Priscilla, we saw the wool being pulled over his eyes by Colonel Tom Parker, and more important than that we saw the man he was at the end of the day, when all that was important to him was making a better life for his family.
We often saw an exhausted Elvis, a man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders without letting on that it affected him at all. Be it the lip curl, the hip thrusting, or the almost painfully beautiful nature in which Elvis existed, fans saw him as more an act than a man, something they wished to touch vs. someone they wished to understand. It all left Elvis feeling lonely, trapped somewhere with himself, as described in a voiceover towards the end of the film.
“Did you know there’s a kind of bird that doesn’t have any legs? So it can’t land on nothing. It lives its whole life on the wing. When it gets tired it just spreads its wings and sleeps on the wind. If it ever does land, even but one time… it dies.”
Tears filled the eyes of those watching the movie as we realized the way Elvis saw himself merely floating through life, trying not to touch the ground, afraid of what it would mean if he were to stop, even if for just one moment. The believability in these scenes, the most heart-wrenching and authentic, are all credited to the talent and dedication of Butler and the way he sacrificed so much to become the icon, to embody the role completely.
Nominated for Best Actor, Butler was the epitome of method acting on his path to becoming Elvis, one made longer by the global pandemic that hit pause on everything leading up to the film, sans his dedication to the role. He used that time to live in an Elvis bubble, plastering pictures of the icon on walls, memorizing interviews, quotes, and of course the manner of speech; making a home inside the archives of the king.
Method acting both sums up what Butler did, and almost feels like an understatement at the same time. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the definition of method acting reads as follows:
“A technique of acting in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part, based on the system evolved by Stanislavsky and brought into prominence in the US in the 1930s.”
Of course, if you’re not well-versed with Stanislavsky’s methods or familiar with Lee Strasberg, there still might be a large question as to what is encompassed by the term and why it can be seen as such an intense and, at times, brutal way of breathing life into a character.
Method acting can also bring rather negative connotations within the entertainment industry, but there’s a lot to be said about the dedication it requires and the life-changing flip that must be immediately switched to embody the character and role to its fullest. For Butler, that meant spending almost three years in Elvis-esque isolation.
Before he even got the job, he had a connection with Elvis; there was a moment that allowed Butler to see beyond the persona and to get a look at the man he was. That connection was heartbreaking but incredibly moving, and he shared how it spurred him forward with W Magazine.
“I had learned something about Elvis, which is that his mother passed away when he was 23. That’s how old I was when my mom passed away. I ended up having this nightmare that my mother was alive, but then she passed away again. I woke up with all this emotion and I thought, Elvis would put this in a song. I sat down at the piano and imagined singing to my mom. I was still in my bathrobe and set up the camera and started playing. That’s the tape I sent. Six months later, Baz called me—he woke me up, actually—and said, “Hey, Austin. Are you ready to fly, Mr. Presley?”
In an Actors on Actors chat with Janelle Monae, Butler spoke about what it was like to film Elvis’ comeback on the second day, a moment so integrally pieced into his legacy, and how it shaped the future of the project for himself.
“I had a year and a half at that point to prepare, and suddenly the moment of truth is here — where you gotta go out, and all the preparation is for nothing if you don’t get it within action and cut. So before walking out on stage, I really had the terror that ‘What if I’m not enough… what if I go out there and I fail everybody?’ and well, my career feels like it’s on the line in this moment you know? Yeah and but at that point in Elvis’ life — his career was on the line, and he had terror, and so… I could end up just living in that and realizing that fear isn’t the enemy, at that moment, that if you use it, it’s the same energy that he was going out there with. Then I started channeling it into the audience, and then you start seeing somebody really genuinely smile, or somebody laugh, and a girl blushing, and then you get their energy, and you’re having raport with the audience.”
He also shared more about being so invested in the role and what he gave up in the process. In fact, there were months during his journey when he didn’t speak to another living, breathing human being.
“I had months where I wouldn’t talk to anybody, and when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis.”
Butler’s dedication to Elvis has been praised since the earliest screenings, and by the most important people; his own family. Throughout the process, the star got to know Lisa and Priscilla Presley well, sharing intimate and vulnerable moments with the loved ones who had to deal with a monumental loss far too soon.
Both Lisa Marie and Priscilla said that Butler’s portrayal of Elvis was the most authentic they’d ever seen, with the former saying there was no doubt in her mind that Butler would win the Oscar for his performance. Just weeks after her’s untimely death, that moment is upon us, and it feels more emotionally charged than ever. What would a win mean for Butler’s career, and what would it reflect upon his journey so far?
The question is a layered one. An Oscar win is something many actors and actresses treasure; it’s not just a nod to the hard work they gave, to the hours, months, and years of dedication to the characters they brought to life, it’s recognition from your peers, and truly an honor.
While Butler’s career will continue to soar, taking him to new heights with films like Dune: Part Two and The Bikeriders on the horizon, he’s already being looked at to star in major projects, highlighting roles that require depth, nuance, and talent on his merit alone. For those fans who have loved Butler since he breathed life into James Garrett, Sebastian Kydd, and Wil Ohmsford this feels like a long time coming — for those who discovered Butler with the reveal of his becoming Elvis; this probably feels like a new great adventure.
For Butler, we’d say it feels like a bit of both, like a blossoming career move at the same time that it feels like something years in the making, a dream come true — and he’s right to feel both. A role putting him on a more “mainstream” path, Elvis wasn’t just a stepping-off point, not just a propelling career move; it was a landmark occasion, the kind of thing that doesn’t come around very often, and his dedication to becoming Elvis deserves all the recognition it can get.
Already a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and People’s Choice Award winner, Butler is deserving of the Oscar for his work in Elvis. He gave audiences worldwide an out-of-body experience, transporting us to the days when the protagonist was more than a performer but a movement; he brought us to tears as he made us fall in love with the man behind the blue suede shoes. We’re lucky to have experienced that level of greatness.
