“Elvis”: Austin Butler introduces Singer to the next generation

The actor takes “the opportunity to live” in Baz Luhrmann’s long biopic which was praised by the widow of “King of Rock”

The image of Elvis Presley that most impressed me is that of the artist with large sideburns, dressed in hooded jumpsuits, a little overweight. That Elvis that most doubles like to imitate. But he was multiple. Elvis, which is directed by the Australian Baz Luhrmann and opens in Brazil on Thursday 14, after a good reception at the Cannes Film Festival and the praise of the artist’s widow, Priscilla Presley, tries to account for its many faces, with music, extravagant costumes and energy. “My films are designed specifically for viewer participation,” Luhrmann said in an interview with the participation of the Estadioduring the Cannes Film Festival.

The film chronicles her difficult journey, from poor childhood to premature death at the age of 42, and her complicated relationship with businessman, “Colonel” Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). It also shows the white singer owing everything to the great black musicians of the southern United States, creating a bridge then nonexistent in an era of apartheid, and the artist generating hysteria from the bold movements of his hips, in a pre – sexual revolution. .

For this, Luhrmann needed to find the ideal actor. Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and even Harry Styles were in contention, but the role ended with Austin Butler. The 30-year-old actor has been acting since his teens, having starred in teen shows like Hannah Montana and iCarly, but has risen to fame more recently, starring alongside Denzel Washington in the comedy. The Iceman and a small sheet inside Once upon a time … in Hollywoodby Tarantino.

Butler won the role after submitting a video of her singing free melody. The actor cried as he had dreamed of his mother – like Elvis, he too has lost his mother in his early twenties. “I think Austin was meant to play Elvis,” said Luhrmann. Priscilla, however, doubted that this boy could play the part. “After seeing it, she told me that she captured her every move, yes, but most of all the soul and humanity of her husband.”

Imitation

This was Butler’s concern. “I didn’t want to do something external, an imitation,” the actor said at a panel discussion with the participation of Estadio in a hotel in Cannes. For two years he has been obsessed with preparation. He sings all the numbers when Elvis is younger, and his voice is mixed with that of the singer in his older stage. His performances are impressive. “I haven’t seen my family or friends all that time. I couldn’t maintain a relationship with anyone in my life,” he said. “But I didn’t see it as a sacrifice, because it came from my love for the role and the film.”

Sometimes, he doubted whether he would be able to do it, because he didn’t think he looked quite like Elvis Presley. “I had this unrealistic expectation that I would be just like him,” Butler said. “But little by little I freed myself from this and tried to find his humanity, because that was the goal: to undress the icon and find the man. I threw away all my life experiences, my pains, my pain, my joy, connect with your inner life. ”It worked: there is already talk of a possible Oscar nomination.

His immersion in Elvis was such that he had an existential crisis when it ended. It was “bizarre” to readjust to life itself. But soon after, he went on to play a WWII soldier in the series. Masters of the Airfrom the production company of Tom Hanks, which follows in the footsteps of Band of brothers And The Pacific. Soon it will also be in the second part of Dune.

“It’s the most magical moment of my life,” Butler said. “I’ve been working since I was 12. I often didn’t have the money for fuel. And I know a lot of talented actors don’t have the opportunity I’m having. I can’t even express how grateful I am.” The shy and lonely Californian boy – like Elvis Presley was in his childhood, by the way – is ready for stardom.

“There would be no Elvis without black music and culture”

In the nearly 70 years since he became famous, Elvis Presley has never lost his charm. His biggest hits continue to resonate out there, in commercials and movie soundtracks. During this period, there were also discussions about his complex relationship with black music: the singer re-recorded several previously recorded songs composed by black artists, who never had a chance to achieve the same success. Elvis the movie does not leave this behind. “There would be no Elvis Presley without black music and culture,” actor Austin Butler, who plays the singer, said in an interview featuring the Estadioin Cannes, where the film was screened out of competition.

Butler, who is 30, confessed that this was a revelation that led to the making of the film. “I knew he was from Tupelo, Mississippi, but not that he grew up in one of the few homes for white families in a black community,” he said.

Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in the small town in the United States. It was a time when apartheid laws separated blacks and whites. But because he lived in a predominantly black neighborhood, the boy had black friends and attended black church services. “I went to research in Tupelo and Memphis and heard from Sam Bell what his and Elvis’ childhood was like in the south,” said Luhrmann of the artist’s childhood friend. The director also had the advice of historian Nelson George, an expert on African American music. “I also found that Elvis sang gospel in the morning. I think it was his refuge, his safe place,” said Luhrmann.

When Elvis was 13, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. There, his fun was going to Beale Street, where there were the blues clubs and shops that formed his way of dressing, less polite than that of the white artists of the time. In the early 1950s, Sun Records’ Sam Phillips wanted to bring black music to white audiences. Elvis Presley was the perfect person to make this bridge, as this was impossible for black artists.

Blues

Elvis mixed country and white gospel with blues, black gospel and rock. The film shows how black music and culture influenced their taste in music and even their way of dancing. Black artists like Big Mama Thornton (Shonka Dukureh), who sang the original version of Hound Dog, Little Richard (Alton Mason), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Yola), who used the electric guitar in a revolutionary way, Arthur Crudup (Gary Clark Jr.), who recorded That’s All Right, and BB King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who was friends with Elvis.

In a dialogue, Elvis said they almost wanted to arrest him for dancing like him. And King replies, “Well, I could be arrested just for walking down the street.” The film also tries to show that Elvis has rejected the “king of rock” label, saying that, in fact, he would be from Fats Domino. There is controversy, but, today, few doubt that the ‘kings of rock’ were all black, like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Elvis certainly benefited from being white at a time when black artists couldn’t get the same space. Big Mama Thornton has complained her entire life, with good reason, that she didn’t make much money from the hound. At the same time, she paved the way for listening to the music of these artists, something Little Richard recognized. Undisputed, however, is Elvis Presley’s genuine passion for black music and culture.

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.