Austin Butler didn't see his family for three years to play Elvis

12 December 2022, 11:55

Austin Butler thanks fans for supporting him as Elvis

By Sam Prance

"I had months where I wouldn't talk to anybody, and when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis."

Austin Butler has opened up about how he prepared to play Elvis and revealed that he didn't see his family until it was over.

As soon as Elvis debuted in cinemas this year, Austin Butler received widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike for his performance as Elvis Presley in the biopic. Not only does he perform all of Elvis' songs brilliantly but he also captures the spirit of the icon. As a result, people think that Austin could be in a chance of winning an Academy Award for his work.

Now, Austin has discussed his acting process and what he did to ensure that he portrayed Elvis to the best of his ability.

Austin Butler didn't see his family for three years to play Elvis. Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images, Dom Slike / Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking with Janelle Monáe in Variety's Actors on Actors about the movie, Austin said: "During Elvis, I didn't see my family for about three years. You know, I was off in New York prepping with Baz and then I went to Australia. I had months where I wouldn't talk to anybody, and when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis."

Austin then continued to explain that he maintained Elvis' accent off-camera. He revealed: "My voice, I was speaking in his voice, the whole time." Austin added that the whole experience confused his sister because every time they'd talk on the phone, she'd say: "What are you doing?"

"During #Elvis, I didn't see my family for about three years," Austin Butler tells Janelle Monáe. "I had months where I wouldn't talk to anybody, and when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis." https://t.co/wNhSd0YD6e pic.twitter.com/YeC1hELObB
— Variety (@Variety) December 11, 2022

Elsewhere, Austin let slip that he'd never really sung before the movie: "I didn't sing ever. I'm a very shy person so I didn't sing at all. Elvis was my voice. I had about five different vocal coaches over the course of two years."

Austin ended by saying: "It's interesting cause you take the work you do with your dialect coach into the singing."