The "Elvis" Cast on the "Intimidating" Task of Portraying Cultural Figures

Updated on Sep 5, 2022 at 5:30 PM

Baz Luhrmann's highly anticipated "Elvis" film is a dream come true for the entire ensemble cast. Two weeks before the now-streaming movie's worldwide premiere earlier this summer, "Elvis" stars Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alton Mason, and Yola sat in disbelief at Elvis Presley's former home, Graceland in Memphis, TN, as they shared with POPSUGAR how grateful they were to be part of such a big moment.

". . . to sort of bring it back home is so, so special."

"It's so exciting," DeJonge — who portrays Priscilla Presley — said. "To be in Memphis, too. We've been touring for what feels like an eternity (only a couple of weeks), but to sort of bring it back home is so, so special." Mason and Yola — who star as rock 'n' roll icons Little Richard and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, respectively — echoed DeJonge's sentiments, saying they were "feeling all the feelings" about the new movie.

Most of members of the "Elvis" cast portray figures that were in the spotlight long before their time, with iconic legacies to match, and they all admitted to feeling nerves about depicting them on screen. "I think I'd be crazy [to say] it wasn't an all-around intimidating experience for me," DeJonge shared. "Luckily, I was so pleasantly surprised by all the players on this film, whether that's Tom [Hanks], Austin, Baz. They all are incredibly knowledgeable, very open, and very present with you, which I think are all really important qualities when you're stepping into a film like this."

Unlike the average music biopic, Luhrmann's "Elvis" is hard to categorize as it offers a new story about the late rock 'n' roll singer's epic rise and fall, all told from his manager Colonel Tom Parker's (played by Hanks) perspective.

Set during the '50s, '60s, and '70s, "Elvis" takes a close look at Elvis's active years as one of the biggest rock 'n' roll stars in American history. From his early days growing up in Memphis, to the city's Black musicians that inspired him, to his relationship with ex-wife Priscilla, Luhrmann's take on Elvis is unique.

The cast called the film an "electric," "balance-redressing" "spectacle" that's a whirlwind of bold theatrics. "It's like the Looney Tunes thing that Warner Bros. has, when it swirls around and it feels like you jump into the hole in 'Space Jam,'" Harrison remarked. "That's what this movie's like. You jump into it and then you kind of go, 'Whoa, Elvis.'"

Read what else the "Elvis" cast have to say about starring in the new film, available to stream on HBO Max as of Sept. 2.

Olivia DeJonge on Playing Priscilla Presley in "Elvis"

Nerves almost got the best of DeJonge when it came time to play Elvis's ex-wife Priscilla Presley on screen, but the actor noted that her castmates made the experience all the more comfortable for her. "I felt like I was in pretty good hands," she said. "There was a lot of love behind this film, and you could really feel that."

Though DeJonge didn't have the chance to consult with Priscilla about her portrayal during production for "Elvis," she did eventually get to connect with her and earn her cosign. "The first time that I heard she'd seen ['Elvis'] was when she posted on Instagram and she wrote this beautiful caption about it," DeJonge said. "I remember I was eating cereal and I was like, 'You are kidding. You are kidding.' Yeah, it was a huge sigh of relief . . . her support has gone above and beyond what any of us thought possible."

Kelvin Harrison Jr. on Playing B.B. King in "Elvis"

Harrison's "Elvis" casting was announced back in December 2020. The first thing the actor did after he was picked to play B.B. King, aka the King of the Blues, was start researching the musician's history. "I was like, 'OK, I should probably start looking up interviews of him because I have three weeks [before filming]. I heard Austin Butler's been prepping for two years,'" he said. "That was my first task. I'm like, 'OK, let's start.' I got a playlist going, started listening to the music, and getting myself hyped up."

As one of Butler's scene partners, Harrison noted that the actor was so humble. "Sometimes when you meet certain actors, you kind of get nervous because they get really serious and 'actory.' But I think Austin and I were kind of like, we're very serious about our craft, but we're also like, 'Let's have a good time as B.B. and Elvis would,'" he said. "I think my job as B.B. King in that space and as Kelvin to Austin was to bring some light and some levity to the situation, while also just encouraging and empowering him through the final run of the race as he played Elvis."

Alton Mason on Playing Little Richard in "Elvis"

Like any actor who's scored the role of a lifetime, Mason admitted he shed a few tears when he learned he'd be starring as Little Richard in Luhrmann's "Elvis." "I cried and I ate some hot wings," he joked. "But the first thing I did was, one, pray and celebrate with my family, but then really dive into the research immediately on Little Richard's background, where he came from, his interviews, performances. I mean, this is the guy that paved the way for everyone you see right now, from Miguel to Prince, Andre 3000, and Childish Gambino. So it felt like a big responsibility for me to carry this and really pay homage to him and honor his family."

Yola on Playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in "Elvis"

Singer-songwriter Yola was an early casting for "Elvis," taking on the role of gospel artist and rock 'n' roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was originally set to just help out on the film's soundtrack, but Luhrmann had bigger plans for her.

"[Baz] saw something, and he was like, 'You have a thing with acting.' I'm like, 'Oh, I did used to do this sample replay job' — where I had to take samples that will go to DJs and producers who want to cut a little bit. They need the energy [from an artist], not just the note perfectness, so you had to act to get the energy right, too. So, weirdly, I'd done the thing that I need to do to get the role, but had no idea that I'd done that. It was hard work."