Austin Butler spent three years perfecting his Elvis, so it is not surprising that many of his fans believe he hasn’t stopped sounding like the King just yet. However, the actor himself doesn’t necessarily agree, but is quite willing to believe that there will be some part of his time playing Elvis that never leaves him. On accepting his award, Butler responded to everyone constantly telling him that he still talks like Elvis, saying:

Butler certainly gave the performance of his career so far for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, seeing off stiff competition to win the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama award at the Golden Globes. Having gone through a prolonged period of voice training and singing to take on the role of the King of Rock and Roll, his commitment to the part has clearly left its mark in more ways than one.

“Yeah, I don’t even think about it. I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot. I think… You know I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time… I had three years worth that was my only focus in life, so I’m sure that there is pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way.”

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Austin Butler’s Elvis Performance Was Praised by Priscilla Presley

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Playing an icon is no easy task. In recent years many young stars have played some of the most iconic entertainers, such as Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Austin Butler’s role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s movie turned out to be another hugely successful portrayal of a much loved icon, and according to Priscilla Presley, one person who would have approved would have been Elvis himself. Luhrmann previously relayed her comments, saying:

Butler’s Golden Globe win has added further proof of the power of his performance, and now is chances of picking up an Oscar for the role have taken a huge boost. Just like the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards will bring another strong category for the actor to compete in but betting against him taking hope more awards would be a little foolish.

“I won’t share all of it, but the key thing she said was, ‘My whole life I’ve had to put up with people impersonating my husband, and I don’t know how that boy did it, but every move, every wink… If my husband was here, he’d say, ‘Hot damn, you are me.’”

The actor is not resting on his laurels either. He will be seen later this year in the sci-fi fantasy Dune: Part Two, and as part of the ensemble cast of the Jeff Nichols drama The Bikeriders. He will also take the main role of Maj. Gale Cleven in the Apple TV+ mini-series Masters of the Air.