This is how Austin reacted when he found out that he could become an Oscar winner
It “feels like a dream,” according to Austin Butler, to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic.
He said to “Good Morning America” that “it’s extremely weird.”
Butler, 31, who most recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in “Elvis,” described how actor Denzel Washington and Butler’s then-partner played a part in helping him earn the movie’s major role.
Butler remarked, “Denzel was incredibly gracious, and we’ve done a play together and, I mean, he’s my hero. Therefore, I am quite grateful to him because after we worked together, he sort of phoned Baz and vouched for me.
He remarked, “[I]t wasn’t something that I thought that I’d play Elvis or anything since I was a youngster.
“Only a few things, including my then-partner suggesting that I might portray Elvis, came up in the months leading up to the audition. So when I learned that Baz was doing a movie, it was kind of like everything was falling into place. The time is now. That is very bizarre.”
Butler’s victory comes roughly two weeks after Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, passed away. During the course of the movie’s filming, Butler and Lisa Marie Presley grew close. Lisa Marie Presley attended the Golden Globes earlier this month to show her support for Butler and the movie.
Butler responded, “I believe she’s beaming down right now,” when asked what he imagined Lisa Marie Presley would think about his nomination in particular and the seven other Oscar nominations for the movie.
In spite of the fact that this is such a happy occasion, he said, “You know, life is full of so many ups and downs, and the pain is just so deep with the loss of Lisa Marie.” “I know she’d be incredibly thrilled right now. I know this was significant to her.”
Butler continued, “We got pretty deep very quickly… [and] it was the most meaningful thing to me even though we didn’t know each other for a very, very long time.
“Elvis” is also vying for awards for best sound, best image, best production design, best film editing, best cinematography, and best costume design.
