Austin Butler and Tom Hanks are an electrifying duo in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” telling The King’s story in a way that we have yet to see on screen. Before they started, however, all those expectations were eating away at Butler to the point of a near panic attack. It wasn’t until some advice from Rami Malek (a fellow portrayer of rock royalty with his turn as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”) that Butler knew it wasn’t about the perfect impression but rather about two “souls colliding and creating something we’ve never seen before.”
For more poignant stories like this, check out the reporting of POPSUGAR’s own Njera Perkins, who traveled all the way to Graceland in Memphis, TN, to get the inside scoop on this thrill ride of a production. She got the cast’s takes on portraying a wide range of historic musical icons. She also spoke in depth with Butler on his years-long “Elvis” journey and with Luhrmann on telling a unique Elvis Presley story.
Meanwhile, in the video above, why does Hanks think that actors are like “hungry dogs”? Watch to find out, and be sure to catch “Elvis” shimmying and sliding into theaters now!