Austin Butler didn’t see his family “for about three years” to prepare for his role as Elvis Presley in director Baz Luhrmann’s chaotically entertaining Elvis. “I had months where I wouldn’t talk to anybody. And when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis. I was speaking in his voice the whole time,” he added. Butler still hasn’t gotten rid of the accent, eight months after the movie came out. Sure, he got nominated for an Oscar — but at what cost? To sound like Uncle Jesse for the rest of his life?
Meanwhile, Matthew McConaughey probably showed up to the studio shirtless to record his dialogue for Agent Elvis, a Netflix animated series in which Presley, voiced by the Magic Mike actor, “trades in his jumpsuit for a jetpack to battle the dark forces that threaten the country – all while holding down his day job as the King of Rock and Roll,” according to the official plot synopsis. The show was created by John Eddie and Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ ex-wife (their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, sadly passed away last month).
In the trailer for Agent Elvis, Elvis lands on the moon, beats up bad guys, and yells at a monkey. It’s not as wacky as Tom Hank’s Colonel Tom Parker voice, but it’s close.
Agent Elvis premieres on Netflix in March.