Actor Austin Butler Still Talks Like Elvis, Nation Confused
Is there anything worse than a method actor?
Yes, a method actor who continues method acting after the movie he was method acting for has wrapped.
Austin Butler starred as King of Rock 'N' Roll and man who thought he could move clouds with his mind, Elvis Presley, in the movie Elvis.
That's a tall order, but by all accounts, Butler did his homework to nail Pressley's low, raspy drawl.
Although the second the film was in the can, he could drop the Elvis voice and go back to talking like a regular dude who was born in Anaheim, California.
Not Butler, he's made sure to keep doing the Elvis voice at least through awards season.
Once again, that is a man from ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA.
Twitter users sure picked up on Butler's inability to part with the voice. Especially what he sounded like in previous roles.
Yeah, there's a big difference in his voice over the years. He went from sounding like you're run-of-the-mill Orange County bro to sounding like he slammed multiple fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches a day.
Austin Butler at the premiere of Elvis. Months after the film's release, he's still talking like the King of Rock 'N' Roll. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)
Butler Was In Character For A Long Time
Shooting for the Baz Luhrmann-helmed biopic started shooting in 2020.
So, in fairness, the movie was in production for a couple of years, so Butler had to talk like the rock legend/celebrity chimpanzee owner (shoutout Scatter) for a long, long time.
I get how it can happen. I watched an Australian TV show one time and talked in an Aussie accent for several days afterward. Nearly drove my girlfriend to the point of insanity with it.
But why not start weaning yourself off the voice after the premiere? I didn't see Elvis but using my cursory knowledge of rock 'n' roll history, I'm going to guess a sequel is not in the works.
At least if acting work dries up, Butler could hightail it to Vegas and make a decent living officiating wedding and performing as an Elvis impersonator.
This is my main problem with method acting. If it provides a great performance, that's awesome. Just don't terrorize the rest of the cast and the crew because you've convinced yourself you're actually Andy Kaufman, or, in this case, Elvis
Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle