Even 45 years after his death, the King of Rock’n’Roll still reigns supreme in millions of fans’ hearts.
Now a little-known actor is bringing Elvis Presley back to life in a biopic about the iconic 20th century superstar.
The world has not been short of Elvis impersonators since his tragic death at just 42 in 1977. But there has never been one quite like Austin Butler, 30.
The king’s widow Priscilla had a private screening of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and was spellbound by Austin’s “unbelievable” portrayal of her late husband.
The film gets its world premiere in a few days at Cannes and looks set to take the French film festival by storm.
One person confident Austin would succeed is his kindergarten teacher and long-time family friend Sydne Betz, 54.
She still works at the school where she taught Austin. She told the Sunday People : “I wasn’t surprised when he got the role.
“He had this amazing talent and I could certainly see the resemblance.”
Sydne saw Austin’s potential star quality even from the age of three. He and her younger son Brad were about the same age and would play make-believe together in her garden.
Last week Austin attended the Met Gala in New York where he posed on the red carpet with Priscilla.
He said of playing Elvis: “It’s truly a privilege of a lifetime.” Austin, who taught himself guitar at a young age and practised so much he needed superglue to mend his bleeding fingers, had thought about trying to secure the rights to the life story of Presley, who sold more than 500 million records with hits such as Blue Suede Shoes, Jailhouse Rock and The Wonder of You.
Then Luhrmann , Oscar nominated for his 2001 musical drama Moulin Rouge!, got in touch. Austin said: “It felt like the stars were aligning. I just said, I’m going to dedicate everything I have to this.”
Sydne met Austin when his mum, Lori Butler, dropped off his older sister Ashley at Twila Reid Elementary, in Anaheim, Orange County, California.
Sydne said: “I asked her if she would baby sit and she said yes. Austin and Brad would play together while she watched my daughter, Hayley. Lori came over with the children and Austin and Brad would play together in the backyard.
“It was always very adventurous. Austin was definitely into acting stuff out, even then. They would dig holes, build things, and wear serious costumes. His mum would go to so much trouble to get whatever they needed. Austin would be saying, ‘Mum, I need a cape,’ and she would get it.
“She was a fun mum. They would dress up, play make-believe in the backyard dig and have fun. I have nothing but the best memories of him, and his family. They are all wonderful people.”
Sydne, has been teaching at Twila Reid for 33 years, which is in the same school district as the school golf legend Tiger Wood used to attend.
She began teaching Austin when he was four.
She said he was a “model student in every way, very smart, a little advanced for the class.
“I had to come up with harder maths for him, and go up to the next grade as he was finding everything easy.”
Austin’s mum and dad, David, divorced when he was seven and when his acting took off Lori moved to Burbank, Los Angeles, to be nearer the studios where he was filming.
In 2008, he landed a main role on Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 as James Garrett, the love interest of the title character played by Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn.
Six years later, he starred in The Carrie Diaries, a Sex and the City prequel, as Sebastian Kydd, the love interest of a young Carrie Bradshaw.
That year tragedy struck and he lost his mum and “best friend” to cancer. He was 23, the same age as Elvis was when his beloved mother Gladys died. A couple of years later he landed the part of elf-human Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles.
Sydne said: “His mum Lori was an absolute angel. She oozed kindness. When I saw the opening scene when the mum of his character Wil died, it reminded me of when Austin’s mum died. It was very emotional. My son and I went to the funeral and they chatted. Austin shared then he was getting into music and the guitar.”
Austin dated High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, 33, for nine years and is currently in a long term relationship with model Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, 20.
He has said: “It’s hard to put into words how much that girl means to me. I am so inspired by her every day and love her to my core.”
In 2019 he starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, playing real-life Manson Family murderer Tex Watson alongside Brad Pitt. Austin did painstaking research into playing Elvis and it seems to have paid off as critics are pitching it as one of 2022’s stand out films.
Sydne and the staff at Twila Reid are so pleased the actor has done so well – there is even a poster of him on the wall in the teachers’ lounge.
Sydne said: “We’ve had his poster on and off the wall through the years. When new teachers come in, I ask them, ‘Do you know Austin Butler?
“When they say yes, I tell them he was my student. We are all incredibly proud of him.”
Priscilla's all shook up by brilliant star
Priscilla Presley felt like she was watching the living re-creation of her late husband Elvis in the new Hollywood biopic.
The 76-year-old had refused to support director Baz Luhrmann’s take on Elvis’s rise from humble Mississippi beginnings to become the King of Rock’n’Roll.
But after having a private screening, spellbound Priscilla agreed to attend the Cannes Film Festival for its world premiere. She was initially sceptical about Luhrmann’s version of Elvis, but was blown away by newcomer Austin Butler’s “unbelievable” performance – not only his voice, but his moves too.
Halfway through the flick, alongside Elvis’ close pal Jerry Schilling, one of the King’s last surviving associates, Priscilla knew she had to be in France.
Priscilla said: “Jerry and I sat there watching this kid, I think it’s his first film role. He must have spent the last year, every single day and every minute, watching Elvis, because he had him down like you cannot believe. I swear to you.
“I said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this,’ I said to Jerry, ‘Are you thinking what I am thinking?’ So about three-fourths of the way into the film, I looked over at Jerry and said, ‘It looks like we’re going to Cannes’. He did an amazing job. Listen, for Jerry and I to say that he has to be good.
“His smirk, laugh, voice, movements – he has him down. I know there are a lot of impersonators. I do not know them, I’ve seen them and they are good. But Austin is unbelievable.”
Presley said Luhrmann delves into Elvis’s issues later in his life, adding: “The ending of the movie does show Elvis’ last moment. That was hard to watch. That was Baz’s choice. Baz is a phenomenal storyteller and film-maker and has this visual creative eye. It is an amazing film.
“There will probably be some people who don’t like it, because he has a different take. I look at it as art. It does show the ups and downs that Elvis had with Tom Parker. He wanted to fire Colonel Parker that is all true, and getting Colonel Parker back and his reasons why. That is all true."
