Austin Butler has shared that he had to work with a dialect coach "just to help me not sound like Elvis."
The Oscar-nominated actor made the revelation during an appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," explaining that he had several days between filming for Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" and the series "Masters of the Air," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He had dedicated three years of his life to portraying the King of Rock 'n Roll but once filming had wrapped, he struggled to rediscover himself.
"I was just trying to remember who I was," Butler admitted. "I was trying to remember what I liked to do. All I thought about was Elvis for three years. And then I had that week off, and then I flew to London, and at that time it was COVID, so I was quarantined for 10 days. I thought, 'All right, just pour all this energy into learning about World War II now.'"
"Masters of the Air" is a war drama series, adapted from Donald L. Miller's book of the same name. The show revolves around a squadron of young fighter pilots taking on the Nazi regime during World War II. Scheduled to premiere on Jan. 26, the miniseries will be available on Apple TV+.
Last year, Butler addressed his accent following his 2023 Golden Globes win for best actor in a drama for portraying Elvis.
"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," he said at the time while backstage. "I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time and I had three years where that was my only focus in life. So I'm sure that there's just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way."
The film received praise from Priscilla Presley, who was married to Elvis Presley from 1967-73.
Taking to Facebook in 2022, Priscilla applauded Luhrmann for his depiction of the relationship between Elvis and his manager, Colonel Parker, played by Hanks.
"It is a true story told brilliantly and creatively that only Baz, in his unique artistic way, could have delivered," Priscilla Presley wrote in a Facebook post. "Austin Butler, who played Elvis is outstanding. Halfway through the film Jerry and I looked at each other and said Wow!!! Bravo to him."
Priscilla Presley said there were "two sides to Colonel."
"The story, as we all know, does not have a happy ending," she added. "But I think you will understand a little bit more of Elvis' journey, penned by a director who put his heart and soul and many hours into this film."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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