Anaheim, California native Austin Butler is finally ready to stop sounding like he was born and raised in a strange, alternative universe version of Memphis, Tennessee. During a recent appearance on the Graham Norton Show, the Elvis actor admitted that he is actively trying to scrub the singer’s lingering influence from his voice.
“I am getting rid of the accent,” Butler said. “But I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing. One song took 40 takes.”
Butler first slipped into the role of Elvis in January 2020 when filming began. With extensive pandemic-related delays, he didn’t have much of a choice but to remain in character. Then, he found himself stuck there, with the southern drawl lingering in his voice more than a year later — though he’s said he doesn’t think he still sounds like the singer. Nearly everyone who has heard him speak during the film’s press run and its subsequent awards campaign beg to differ.
“I don’t think about it. I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot,” Butler told reporters at the Golden Globes. “You know, I often liken it to when somebody who lives in another country for a long time. I had three years where [the role] was my only focus in life, so I’m sure there will always be pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way.”
Last month, Irene Bartlett, one of the actor’s vocal coaches from the film, speculated that shutting off the accent might be easier said than done, if possible at all. “What they wanted was a true connection with the personality of Elvis and his story, and that’s what Austin worked on,” she told ABC Gold Coast. “What you saw in that Golden Globes speech, that’s him. It’s genuine, it’s not put on.”
Bartlett added: “I feel sorry people are saying that, you know, it’s still acting. He’s actually taken [the voice] on board. I don’t know how long that will last, or if it’s going to be there forever.”