Austin Butler
(Picture: ES Composite)Austin Butler has said he’s finally “getting rid” of his Elvis Presley accent and joked that he’s “damaged” his vocal cords playing the legendary singer.
The 31-year-old, who portrayed the King in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis, was recently mocked online for still sounding like the late star long after the cameras stopped rolling while accepting his Golden Globe last month.
But Butler admitted that he won’t sound like the later singer for much longer, declaring on The Graham Norton Show: “I am getting rid of the accent, but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing.
“One song took 40 takes!”
The Dune 2 actor, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance, described being recognised for his work by the Academy as “a whirlwind”.
He continued: “It’s amazing because when you are making a film you never really know how it will be received.
“With this one there were so many ways it could go wrong, so to be received in the way it has means the world to me.”
Aside from the adulation, Butler spoke about working with Tom Hanks, who played Presley’s manager Colonel Parker.
The star shared: “I had no idea what it was going to be like meeting someone you have admired for so long. You hope they would be warm to you, but you never really know.
“He is such a master of his craft, and I was intimidated, but the first time I met him he gave me the biggest bear hug and joked about how nervous he was.
“When I said I was terrified, he said, ‘And, nobody knows what Colonel Parker sounds like, but everyone knows what Elvis sounds like!’”
