The Speech of Thanks Austin Butlerprotagonist of Elviswhen taking the Golden Globe Best Dramatic Actor was one of the most talked about numbers at the gala. Not because of what he said, but because of the way he said it: with the particular southern accent of the King of Rock. Was it fake or after the effort it took to get into the singer’s skin, you still couldn’t pull it off?
All about the 2023 Oscars
It was his first big lead role and, given the success, it doesn’t look like he’ll be the only one. At only 31 years old, the actor and singer Austin Butlerone of the young promises of interpretation forged in the Disney Channel factories -he had a role in Hannah Montana- and Nickelodeon, is one of the big bets of the oscars 2023 for his work on the film Elvisthe biography of the King of Rock by Bar Luhrmann — that of red Mill oh Gatsby the magnificent-, for which he opted for the statuette of the best actor.
For the moment, the interpreter has already caressed the honey of triumph with the standing ovation the film received at Cannes, where it was released in May 2022, as well as with the Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Actor and BAFTA that he achieved in the race for the statuette.
Precisely, his presence and his speech at the Golden Globes have been the source of controversy on social networks and among moviegoers. And not because the merit of the actor bringing the famous Memphis singer to life has been questioned, but because of his voice: spoke with the characteristic southern accent of Elvis Presley, something that has bothered some and amused others who have not understood why he follows him two years after he finished shooting the film. There were even those who accused him of forcing him to earn points during awards season.
What happened to Austin Butler’s voice?
The actor’s speech and a few interviews opened up a debate that forced Bluster himself to come out and explain what was going on.
“I don’t think I always sound like him, but I guess I do because I’m often told that. I often compare it to when someone lives in another country for a long time. There were three years when Elvis was my only goal in life, so I’m sure there are parts of my DNA that will always be linked in this way”, the interpreter specified during the press conference after the awards ceremony in order to defend himself against those who claim that the accent is wrong.
Butler’s work to prepare for the role of Elvis It kept him completely focused on his character for three years and, as he himself explained, he even lost track of who he really was. At the end of filming, in March 2021, he found himself so exhausted that he had to be hospitalized for a week due to a virus: “I woke up at four in the morning in excruciating pain, and they rushed me to the hospital”.
In addition to his health and his dreams of the king of rock for months, it is his voice that has also suffered the consequences of this interpretation effort. “The voice is a muscular phenomenon”said Irene Bartlett, one of his vocal coaches during the recordings, to justify the Butler phenomenon. “So like an athlete, if you go too far when you’re too young, or if you try to impose a sound that’s not natural for that voice, eventually that voice will get tired and you’ll have problems,” he said. studying and therefore assured what was seen in this speech was “authentic” and not “a montage”.
A month ago, the protagonist of Elvis attended the program The Graham Norton Show and, again, spoke on the subject. He confessed that he found it funny that everyone knew about this, and He said he was gradually getting rid of the accent. Now, he clarified, “I probably damaged my vocal chords from singing,” since some of the songs in the film were taken 40 times.
When did Austin Butler start preparing for the role of Elvis?
Austin Butler is up for the best actor award for Elvis at the 2023 ceremony, four years after he began preparing for the role.
In summer 2019 Butler was chosen to bring the King of the Roc to lifek in Bar Luhrmann’s film. The idea was to start filming the film in March 2020, but the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced filming to be postponed. It has been pushed back almost six months, to September 2020.
Austin devoted the time of confinement to preparing the film, which wrapped filming in March 2021 – more than 18 months after the start of preparation – and that is why he immersed himself so much in the character.
“Due to the COVID lockdown, he worked on the character for a long time and It’s hard to turn off something you’ve devoted so much time and attention to.“, justified his trainer.