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Elvis’ Austin Butler left recording studio in tears after being ‘heckled’ by Baz Luhrmann and film executives-Mel Evans-Entertainment – Metro
The actor was put through his paces to discover how Presley felt on stage.
Austin Butler recalled how Baz Luhrmann put him through his paces on the Elvis set (Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Austin Butler has revealed the great lengths Elvis director Baz Luhrmann went to prepare the actor for his role as The King and, well, it doesn’t seem like something for the faint of heart.
According to Austin – who took on the crooner for the Aussie filmmaker’s latest movie – he was left in tears after being ‘heckled’ by Baz and studio executives.
While it may sound like this is some horrific Hollywood hazing ritual, turns out it was Baz’s way of getting Austin into the mindset of Elvis for the introductory scene in which we meet the actor’s take on the Hound Dog hitmaker.
In the film, which was released last month, we witness Austin embody Presley for one of his first performances which saw him being jeered at by a baying crowd.
In a recent interview, Austin recalled cutting his teeth in RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee where Presley himself famously recorded over 200 songs.
When asked whether the recording experience was a trying one, seeing as he was taking on one of the most beloved crooners of all time, Austin told VMAN: ‘Well, when I was on my first day in the recording studio, Baz wanted me to get as close to performing as possible.
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It was all Baz’s way of bringing out the Elvis in Austin (Picture: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
‘He had all the executives and everybody from RCA, who were back in the offices, he brought them into the recording studio and he goes, “I want you all to sit facing Austin,”…and he told them to heckle me.
‘So then they were making fun of me and stuff while I was singing.’
He added: ‘When we were filming this moment when Elvis first goes on stage and he’s getting heckled by the audience, I knew what that felt like. I went home in tears that night. I really did.’
This scene saw Presley heckled by the crowd before winning over the screaming women (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS)
Austin has Oscar buzz swirling after his portrayal of The King (Picture: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
Austin revealed Romeo + Juliet star Leonardo DiCaprio warmed him: ‘”Baz is gonna push you in ways you didn’t know somebody could”‘.
And, hey, it all seems to be worth it, as the actor has been receiving critical acclaim for his portrayal of the singer since Elvis premiered at Cannes. According to Variety, the film received a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest of this year’s festival so far.
The wife of the late icon Priscilla Presley was in attendance to give it her seal of approval, with the publication adding that she and Austin shared a hug after the film, with both appearing emotional.
Meanwhile, Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley recently praised the film and predicted an Oscar for Austin, saying he ‘channeled and embodied my father’s heart & soul beautifully’, and if he didn’t win an Academy Award she ‘will eat my own foot’.
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She added that she was also moved to tears by watching her children ‘visibly overwhelmed in the best possible way’ by the film, as they were ‘so filled with pride about their grandfather and his legacy in a way that I have not previously experienced’.
Elvis is in cinemas now.
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