With director Baz Luhrmann’sElvisbiopic set to release later this month, Luhrmann has now opened up about why singer Harry Styles was not cast as the King.
Styles, who is set to star in Olivia Wilde’sDon’t Worry Darlingand Michael Grandage’sMy Policemanlater this year, is not new to the acting world. Outside his sold-out world tours, Styles began his acting career in Christopher Nolan’sDunkirk. While the performernow has a fresh new role inEternalsunder his belt, it is left to the imagination whether his acting career would have seen new heights following his near-casting in theElvisfilm.
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However, it appears Styles' stardom actually factored into him being passed on for the role of Elvis. “Harry is a really talented actor. I would work on something with him,” Luhrmann told Rolling Stone. “The real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles. He’s already an icon.” Even though Styles was a strong contender for the role, Luhrmann could not deny the spiritual connection and commitment that he would have brought to the role. “Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore,” Luhrmann continued. “He’s such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles.”
Even though production wrapped over a year ago, Austin Butler (who landed the role) can still be heard slipping in and out of his accent during interviews for the film.TheElvisstar deeply immersed himselfin the world, so much so that the actor was rushed to the hospital with a virus the day after filming had ceased. “My body just started shutting down the day after I finishedElvis,” Butler told Independent. “The thing about Austin was that he will tell you himself, I didn’t pick him,” Luhrmann said. “It’s as if he was drawn, like the role drew him in because he was almost born to play it.”
Butler, whose acting credits includeOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood,The Intruders, andThe Carrie Diariesknew that he needed to be part of this film. That ‘spiritual connection’ to the character that Luhrmann claims Butler had was not just a compliment. Like Elvis, Butler also lost his mother at the age of 23. When it came to the audition, Butler ditched the idea of performing one of Presley’s classics and instead sung a song dedicated to his mother, “Unchained Melody.”
Butler said (via Vogue) that he sang the song as though he were singing it to his late mother. He had just awoken from a nightmare about her death and had the feeling that the same thing had likely happened to Presley in his lifetime. Butler threw on a robe and hit record. Luhrmann said he knew right away that this man, singing in a bathrobe, was his Elvis.
Elvisis set to be released on July 11, 2025, in theaters.
