‘Elvis’: Austin Butler Responded to Claims That He Can’t Stop Talking Like Elvis Presley on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Elvis actor Austin Butler impressed moviegoing audiences with his transformative performance as Elvis Presley. However, there was some talk that he dug so deep into the character that he couldn’t shake him off. As a result, Butler kept talking like the famous musician, even as he worked in other roles in different problems. The actor finally addressed it while hosting Saturday Night Live.
‘Elvis’ actor Austin Butler didn’t see his family for 3 years while working on the film
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis made quite an impact on moviegoing audiences, especially thanks to Butler’s tremendous performance. However, the preparation for the role took a lot of hard work that some fans questioned. The actor employed method acting, remaining in the character to an extreme degree. Butler sat opposite Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star Janelle Monáe in Variety’s Actors on Actors, where he talked about the effect that it had on him.
“During Elvis, I didn’t see my family for about three years,” Butler said. “I was 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. I was speaking in his voice the whole time.”
Further, he said that “this is what it takes” when it comes to achieving that level of performance. However, some fans of the film didn’t entirely agree that it was a healthy way to prepare for a role.
‘Saturday Night Live’ host Austin Butler responded to people saying he still talks like Elvis Presley
Along the press tour for Elvis, Butler had the honor to host Saturday Night Live. During his monologue, he brought up the controversy surrounding his supposed voice change into Presley. In the video uploaded onto YouTube, he said, “There’s people out there who say that ever since I played Elvis, my voice has changed — that it got deeper, more Elvis-y.”
“But that’s not true,” Butler countered. “I’ve always sounded like this, and I can prove it. Here’s a clip from an interview I did 10 years ago.”
Saturday Night Live cut to the aforementioned interview, but there was a joke buried in there. They increased the pitch of the actor’s voice to the point where it sounded like he just sucked on some helium. Some comments under the YouTube video reported that they actually love his voice the way it is. One user called his voice “gold.”
The actor is in the Oscar race
Butler is earning an abundance of praise beyond the voice that he spoke with in Elvis and beyond. The film hit theaters back on June 24, but his performance stuck with audiences. He transformed so well into Presley that Oscar buzz continued to circulate around the actor ever since the movie’s release. Butler already earned numerous awards and nominations from critics groups, such as the Critics Choice Awards, to recognize his work.
However, the awards season is still underway, and plenty can happen in the Best Actor race before then. Butler will have to face off against other frontrunners, such as The Whale’s Brendan Fraser, Living‘s Bill Nighy, and The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Colin Farrell. Only time will tell if all of that method acting will result in him securing the Oscars 2023 nomination and whether he will win the golden statue.
