Priscilla Presley Was Initially 'Cynical' About Austin Butler Playing Elvis, Baz Luhrmann Says (Exclusive)

Riley Keough was extremely moved by Austin Butler‘s portrayal of her grandfather — but with all the tension between her and her grandmother Priscilla Presley, it looks like she won’t be able to support him as much as she might want to…

Austin Butler had some tough expectations to live up to when he signed on to portray Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrmann biopic, not only from fans, but of course from Priscilla Presley and the rest of the singer's legacy, the late Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough.The actor has been widely lauded for this portrayal as the late King of Rock in the critically-acclaimed movie, earning both a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination, but most importantly, the approval from Elvis' family.As the Oscars approach, and so does a possible first-time win for the actor, Elvis' first granddaughter, Riley, revealed her tearful reaction to seeing her grandfather's life reenacted.WATCH: Austin Butler pays tribute Presley family following Lisa Marie death after BAFTA winMORE: Riley Keough reveals her husband Ben Smith-Petersen makes an appearance on Daisy Jones & the SixDuring a recent appearance on Live! With Kelly and Ryan, she opened up about how emotional she was, for a week, after seeing the film."I think he was outstanding and incredible," she first maintained about Austin's portrayal, adding: "I couldn't have imagined anyone being able to pull off what he did in terms of embodying my grandfather."MORE: See how Riley Keough paid homage to grandfather Elvis Presley on Daisy Jones and the SixRecalling how much of an impact it had on her, she said: "It was really shocking and emotional.

Riley Keough is following in her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley‘s, footsteps and giving Austin Butler her seal of approval. The 33-year-old “Daisy Jones & the Six” star praised Butler’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of her late grandfather, Elvis Presley, in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, “Elvis”, during an appearance on “Live With Kelly and Ryan”.

Riley Keough is following in her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley's footsteps and giving Austin Butler her seal of approval. The 33-year-old star praised Butler's Oscar-nominated portrayal of her late grandfather, Elvis Presley, in the Baz Luhrmann biopic,, during an appearance on .«I think he was outstanding and incredible,» Keough shared of Butler.

told People on the red carpet for the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday.Butler revealed that he “spent a week in bed” before going on to another project.In May 2022, he told British GQ that he “woke up at 4 in the morning with excruciating pain” and was “rushed to hospital,” which was due to a virus he contracted that simulated the symptoms of appendicitis.“My body just started shutting down the day after I finished ‘Elvis,'” Butler recalled.But the trip to the emergency room wasn’t the only health challenge he faced while taking portraying Elvis.He also told People that he lost his now-memorable voice while singing Elvis’ version of “Never Been to Spain.”“We did so many takes. And at a certain point, I just lost my voice,” Butler explained.

Austin Butler is forever grateful for his time with Lisa Marie Presley. The 31-year-old actor continues his awards season run at the 2023 SAG Awards, where he is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor category, for his work in .«It's just exciting, it's just exciting to be a part of this,» the actor told ET's Denny Directo on Sunday at the 2023 SAG Awards. Butler has been vocal about the support he received from Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, from the beginning of the film's production to the time of her death in January. «It's just part of that profound privilege that I feel to relate to them in some way,» he said about his time with the Presley family.

Austin Butler delivers a pop of luxurious color on the red carpet at the Fairmont Century Plaza for the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday evening (February 26) in Los Angeles.

Oscar nominations are in, and this year there are 10 films up for best picture — including , the biographical drama about the life, rise to fame, and death of the King of Rock and Roll. Austin Butler just bagged a BAFTA for his turn as Elvis Presley and you can catch his performance ahead of the Academy Awards on March 12. Written and directed by Baz Luhrmann,  is available to watch at home on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV.  is available to stream on HBO Max or you can rent the film on Amazon Prime Video. Austin Butler won his first-ever Golden Globe during this year's 80th annual awards for his portrayal of the rock & roll legend. «He was somebody who was so true to himself. It liberated a lot of people, even just audiences watching him,» Butler said of Elvis.

Austin Butler met Lisa Marie Presley after playing her father, Elvis Presley, on film, and the pair instantly connected — but their friendship was tragically cut short.

Austin Butler continued his streak of successful award wins for his role as the iconic Elvis Presley in the Baz Lurhmann-directed biopic, Elvis. On Sunday night, the actor picked up the gong for Best Leading Actor at the BAFTAs, where he paid tribute to the Presley family, and later described winning awards as "bittersweet" following the sudden death of Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter, in January. Austin, 31, appeared to still be adopting the Southern drawl he perfected to play Elvis in the film as he accepted his award, where he mentioned director Baz, saying: "This film would not have been possible without you." He then went on to show his appreciation for the Presley family, as he said: "I cannot thank you guys enough for your love and for sharing with me who Elvis truly was.

Austin Butler became emotional on stage on Sunday as he collected his award for Best Actor at the EE BAFTAs.The Elvis star choked up as he thanked a string of people involved in the production, including director Baz Luhrmann and the Presley family. Austin held back the tears as he said that he hoped he had made Elvis’s loved ones proud with his portrayal as the King, while collecting his award at London's Royal Festival Hall. He said: “Baz Luhrmann, this film would not have been possible without you.

When cinematographer Mandy Walker boarded Elvis, one of her principal goals was to make the camera “dance with” the King of Rock and Roll, as played by Austin Butler. 

You can’t say Austin Butler doesn’t commit to his acting roles!

Austin Butler had a fun time proving he was the right man to play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Oscar-nominated biopic,. The 31-year-old actor, who has received an Academy Award nod for his role as the iconic singer, opened up about how he convinced the director that he was right fit for the role.«Especially when I was trying to get the part before Baz really welcomed me on the journey, we were trying to figure out if I could play older Elvis,» Butler shared on podcast.

Austin Butler shares his secret to packing on the pounds for “Elvis”.

Austin Butler chokes up over the death of Lisa Marie Presley in an exclusive preview of his  interview, saying he feels «endlessly privileged» to have been a part of her story. «I remember the moment they were first going to watch the film,» Butler tells host Willie Geist in the clip, speaking about the Presley family's first screening of «I'd never been more nervous for anybody to see anything I'd ever done, because they'd never seen anything, they didn't even read the script at that point, and they were very nervous.» Butler adds that he knew the Presley family's opinion «could go either way,» but that Priscilla Presley sent director Baz Luhrmann an email congratulating Butler for his portrayal of her ex-husband. «I just burst into tears, 'cause it was, I felt so much responsibility for them, for their family and for Elvis' legacy,» he says. Butler didn't meet Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter, until later, when the team screened the film at Graceland. «When I locked eyes on her, it's really a surreal thing,» he says.

Baz Luhrmann is opening up about the reason why there was a sense of relief from Lisa Marie Presley after Austin Butler won a Golden Globe for Best Actor.During an interview on SiriusXM's , the  director revealed that despite losing contact during the filming of her father's biopic, the director and the producers behind the film were so lovingly embraced by Lisa Marie after he screened the film for her ahead of the Golden Globes.«So, comes the moment that I screened the film to her, and honestly, from that very emotional moment on, we were embraced into the family,» Luhrmann said. «I mean, we were brought back to Graceland to have a barbecue and hang out in the jungle room, having cocktails.

Austin Butler is happy his “Elvis” success is happening in his 30s and not when he was younger.

Priscilla Presley just wasn’t quite sure about Austin Butler after he’d been cast as her late, ex-husband, Elvis Presley for Elvis.

Priscilla Presley and Austin Butler may have formed a strong bond after the Elvis biopic debuted, but that doesn't mean she wasn't dubious of him playing her iconic ex-husband.The actor has been widely lauded for this portrayal as the late King of Rock in the critically-acclaimed Baz Luhrman movie, earning both a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination.However, the Elvis director admits Priscilla, naturally, had very high standards and was even "cynical" when it came to casting.WATCH: Austin Butler thanks Lisa Marie And Priscilla Presley at 2023 Golden GlobesMORE: Kelly Ripa wows in skin-tight green wetsuit in honor of Philadelphia Eagles for Super BowlRecalling the casting process ahead of filming in Australia – which took nearly three years because of the coronavirus pandemic –Baz told Entertainment Tonight: "I was not gonna make the film unless I found someone who could play Elvis," adding: "I didn't really think I could."Though he eventually gained all of the confidence in the world after he saw Austin become Elvis, it didn't take away the "nerve-wracking" feeling when  it came to showing Priscilla the movie.MORE: Was Rihanna's son at Super Bowl 2023? Her family life revealedHe admitted: "[Priscilla] was quite cynical about how this young kid could, in fact, manifest her husband," and the outlet reports the director noted how many "disappointments" the Presley family have felt over different on screen portrayals of the late Blue Suede Shoes singer.  Priscilla became nothing but supportive of Austin after seeing the filmHe added: "I remember Priscilla said, 'I know I was hard on you,'" in an email she wrote to him.MORE: Travis and Jason Kelce's sad family history revealed ahead of Super BowlMORE: Goldie Hawn looks