‘Priscilla’ Director Sofia Coppola Was ‘so Impressed’ That Priscilla Presley Left Elvis — Here’s Why 

In 2023, Sofia Coppola will release her film Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley’s book Elvis and Me. Coppola read the book years before filming the movie and was struck by the similarities between herself and Priscilla. She also took note of how courageous Priscilla was. Coppola explained why she found it incredibly impressive that Priscilla left Elvis Presley.

Sofia Coppola shared why she thought it was impressive that Priscilla Presley left Elvis

Priscilla met Elvis when she was 14. By 17, she had moved to Graceland to finish out her high school career while her family remained in Germany. This was what she wanted more than everything, but she found life there rigid and isolating.

“By day, Priscilla went to Catholic school in Memphis for her senior year, and at night she would party with Elvis,” Coppola told W Magazine. “I found that reality fascinating: She wasn’t allowed to have friends over to Graceland, and she’d hear other girls whispering about her. She was so isolated.”

Priscilla and Elvis divorced in 1973, something Coppola finds extremely impressive. She was still in her 20s and was stepping out as a single mother and independent woman. She noted that it was especially noteworthy given the relationship dynamic. Elvis wanted to exercise control over nearly every aspect of Priscilla’s life, from who she saw to how she wore her makeup.

“I was so impressed that Priscilla left Elvis,” Coppola said. “She was always trying to be his fantasy, his ideal woman. I think about my mom’s generation and how hard it was to be independent. Women without any power or money at that time had nothing when they left their husbands. Priscilla had courage, and that seemed, to me, to be a universal theme.”

Priscilla Presley said leaving Elvis was one of the hardest things she’s ever done

Even in their relationship’s earliest stages, Priscilla was aware of problems between herself and Elvis. His temper flared unpredictably, and he constantly cheated on her. For years, she tried to make things work smoothly between them but she eventually reached a breaking point. 

His constant cheating wore on her, and she knew that if she ever wanted to experience independence, she had to move on from the marriage. Though it was her decision, it didn’t make their separation easy.

“It took every bit of strength that I could conjure up to leave because I still loved him, you know? It wasn’t about not liking, it wasn’t about not loving,” she said on Larry King Live, adding, “It was a lifestyle. I was having a daughter. It was not being able to raise a daughter and a lifestyle of bachelors, and not only that, they were married — some were married and there was a lot of unethical relationships going on.”

When will Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ come to theaters?

In 2022, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis provided a sweeping look at Elvis’ life. 2023’s Priscilla will focus on the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla through the latter’s eyes. Priscilla Presley was involved in the filmmaking process and has praised Coppola’s filmmaking. 

The film will hit theaters on Nov. 3, 2023.