alt=Lottie Elizabeth JohnsonEditor’s note: This article originally published on Aug. 17, 2022. It has been updated.
It’s been 45 years since Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, died at the age of 42. But even after four decades, Elvis remains in the spotlight — thanks, in part, to Baz Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed biopic “Elvis,” which chronicles the singer’s rise to stardom and hit Netflix on Dec. 31.
What does Priscilla Presley think of ‘Elvis’?
Elvis’ former wife, Priscilla Presley, recently revealed her reaction to the film — and the part that was especially difficult to watch. The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as the singer’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, and Presley said it was tough to watch the relationship between the two unfold on the big screen — particularly the disagreements over the direction Elvis’ career should take.
“He wanted to do movies, serious movies, and Col. Parker probably should have stayed a publicist,” Presley told “Today.” “He didn’t take Elvis where he wanted to be, and that was hard because I lived it.
“I lived the arguments that they had, I lived Elvis trying to explain he didn’t want to do the movies with all the girls and the beaches and everything, that he really wanted to do serious things,” she continued. “So living that, with him, and watching the movie, it brought back a lot of memories.”
Presley said she had her doubts about Luhrmann pursuing the biopic, but when she watched the final product with a longtime friend of Elvis’, they had nothing but praise for how it turned out.
“At the end we went, ‘Wow, this is Elvis,’” she told “Today.”
What Lisa Marie Presley thought of ‘Elvis’
Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only child who died last year at the age of 54, had high praise for the film.
“I do want to take a moment to let you know that I have seen Baz Luhrmann’s movie ‘Elvis’ twice now, and let me tell you that it is nothing short of spectacular,” she wrote. “Absolutely exquisite. Austin Butler channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully. In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)”
According to Elvisthemusic.com, “Elvis” was nominated for the following eight Oscars:
- Best picture.
- Best actor.
- Best cinematography.
- Best film editing.
- Best costume design.
- Best production design.
- Best makeup and hairstyling.
- Best sound.
Butler ended up losing out on the best actor award to Brendan Fraser in “The Whale.”