Austin Butler said this Elvis Presley's performance always leaves him in tears.
Among the actors in the acting industry, Butler ultimately scored the chance to play the role of Presley in Baz Luhrmann's musical drama film, "Elvis." In the flick, he gave justice to the late King of Rock and Roll's visuals and songs.
In a new interview with Los Angeles Times (via Express), he talked about that one performance that always leaves him emotional.
While preparing for the role, the actor would always watch videos of Presley on YouTube. He eventually saw a clip of the late rocker's performance of "Unchained Melody." The song was written by Alex North and Hy Zaret in 1955.
In the video in question, Presley could be heard talking to his fans before continuing his performance. Despite looking out of breath as he struggled because of his health issues, he was still able to sing the high note and smile at his audience.
With that, Butler reportedly cries every time he sees that smile. His feelings intensified when he dreamed his mom was dying again. To calm himself, he sat down at a piano and sang "Unchained Melody" to his mother while recording it.
"I just thought there's got to be a way to channel this feeling. And I was obsessing so much about Elvis that it became this other thing of going, 'OK. He felt grief. How did he deal with it?' Well, he would sing. He would pour out his soul into song," he said.
A few weeks later, Luhrmann called him and gave him the offer to play Presley's role.
Austin Butler Makes Elvis Presley His Inspiration
As "Elvis" continues to create buzz, Butler talked about it again and how Presley made him look back on his own life and changed his priorities.
He told Deadline that his relationship to fear changed after playing the singer's role. Butler noted that Presley was a shy person and suffering stage fright, but he was still able to change the world with his music.
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With that, the actor gave himself a chance to learn more about his life and prioritize what needs to be prioritized.
After playing the role, Butler said he felt like Presley has been protecting him from dangers by inspiring him even decades after his death.
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