Elvis Presley. The King of Rock and Roll. The most well-known American musician of all time.
As we are all very familiar with, award-winning director Baz Luhrmann has just released the phenomenal film Elvis, which grossed over $31 million in the opening weekend alone. Baz is known for directing other brilliant films such as The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!, and Romeo and Juliet.
The movie encapsulates Elvis’s childhood background and foundation of his love for music and culture. We get to see him develop through his entire career and leave his heavy impact on society from his very first live performance in 1955 to his last in 1977. Baz gives us the privilege of seeing Elvis’s biggest accomplishments as well as his hardest challenges. It is a 10/10 movie starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, and if you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do.
Austin Butler did a jaw-dropping, mind-blowing job in his role as Elvis. This film was years in the making, and Austin did his due diligence in his research to embody the legend that he portrayed. He even sang many of the songs performed in the film, specifically early in Elvis’s career. You don’t need me to tell you that Austin did a fine job and acted spectacularly – this is general knowledge.
With the new film absolutely blowing up, Austin Butler has gained a lot of attention, despite being an actor in smaller roles since the early 2000s. Many fans are in love with Austin and adore him in the movie – as do I.
However, the question cannot help but be posed: do they love Elvis as they claim, or do they just love Austin Butler in his shoes?
Don’t get me wrong. I think that Austin Butler is a pretty man and did a wonderful job. He filled Elvis’s shoes very well and did a fabulous job at portraying him – especially in the live performances. I don’t think that another actor could have done what Austin was able to do, not in a million years.
It just got me thinking. Austin Butler has been a cute, famous actor for the last 15+ years and is just now getting the attention he deserves. This is no doubt because of the big role he played.
Now, I see many claims of people loving Elvis after seeing the movie. I, too, did not realize how much I loved the music and the costumes and the story until seeing it myself. With all of the Austin edits and whatnot surfacing on the internet, I slowly began to realize that the vast majority just loves Austin and not necessarily Elvis himself. I do enjoy seeing the comparisons between the two and I strongly believe that Austin deserves all the credit and love he is getting, without a doubt. It’s just a thought that I can’t seem to shake.
Elvis Presley cannot be compared to any musician that has ever risen to fame. He is the #1 best-selling solo artist of all time with at least 1.5 billion units sold (All Top Everything). Having love for Elvis is not an uncommon or unpopular opinion. I mean, think about it… he’s Elvis Presley. I fell in love with him after seeing the movie for the first time and couldn’t get enough. I have now seen the movie seven times and plan on watching it much, much more.
“I think it’s really good that people are coming to love Elvis and his music [since the movie was released] – but the people who are obsessed with Austin Butler-Elvis isn’t the same.” – Rebecca Diebold, WU Student & Lifelong Elvis Fan
I couldn’t make this clearer: loving Austin Butler as Elvis is not loving Elvis. Nonetheless, THANK YOU Austin Butler for carrying on his legacy in the most admirable way possible. You did him well!
So, what do you think? Do you love Austin, love Elvis, or love both equally?
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ELVIS AARON PRESLEY, JANUARY 8, 1935-AUGUST 16, 1977