In preparation for his Oscar nominated role as Elvis, Austin Butler has claimed that he connected to the late singer's ghost, ahead of the star studded awards ceremony happening tonight.
The 31 year-old said that Elvis' wife Priscilla invited the actor to Graceland, where he was allegedly able to connect with the superstar's spirit. Prior to his role, Butler spent a lot of time with the 77 year-old for Baz Lurhman's "Elvis" biopic and it seems that the extra work has paid off as the Austin has secured an Oscar nomination for his performance.
He is up for Best Actor and will come head to head with fellow nominees Brendan Fraser, Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal and Bill Nighy at the awards, taking place on Sunday, March 12 in Los Angeles.
As reported by the Mirror, Austin told The Sun on Sunday about his encounter with Priscilla, saying: “That time was less about the questions and more about trying to feel his energy, trying to feel the humanity of him.
"She took me over to Graceland and said, ‘This is where I believe his spirit is.’ Then I just got to spend the day in Graceland by myself and sort of sit in different rooms and think, ‘This is where they had Christmas’ and, ‘This is where he used to sit and eat breakfast’ and just humanise him.”
Elvis Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42 but has continued to be a chart and pop culture icon in the decades since his passing. Last year’s biopic has made almost £240 million at the box office and has been nominated for a string of Oscar awards including Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Austin.
Elvis’s daughter, Lisa Marie - his only child with Priscilla and his only child ever - tragically died in January at the age of 54. Austin paid tribute to the mum-of-four after winning Best Actor at the BAFTAs in London last month.
In his touching speech, the star said: "It’s been a really unimaginably tragic time, you know, and grief is a long process. And so my heart and my love was with [the Presley family] always. I feel honored to have been welcomed into the family. It’s a bittersweet time.
"How lucky I was to get to have that experience [of playing an icon like Elvis Presley].”
He concluded his speech by thanking the Presley family in general, saying: "I cannot thank you guys enough for your love and for sharing with me who Elvis truly was.
"I hope I've made you proud. This means the world to me. Thank you all so much."
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