Austin Butler has been making waves in Hollywood with his performance in Elvis, for which he won a Golden Globe, and BAFTA award. Butler played Elvis Presley in the film which pays tribute to the Rock n Roll legend, who changed the face of the music industry.
Austin Butler’s lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis helped him go from Disney and Nickelodeon cute to a true heartthrob. As a renowned performer, Butler rocked and rolled his way into movie history with Elvis. Austin Butler’s comments on the process of shooting Elvis, though, serve as a reminder of just how hard he had to work to make it appear to be so simple.
Austin Butler was rushed to the ER after filming Elvis
At his appearance at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards pre-show on Sunday, February 26th, 2023, Austin Butler discussed his trip to the hospital after finishing production for Elvis. The actor, 31, said that while portraying the late King of Rock ‘n Roll was “the greatest ride of [his] life,” it also offered significant health issues.
The actor revealed that before beginning a new assignment, he became severely ill and was rushed to the hospital,
“had a week of downtime, where [he] actually ended up in the hospital. I didn’t get sick the entire time I filmed [Elvis] but the day I finished, I ended up in the emergency room. So, I spent a week in bed and then I went to this other job.”
Butler previously discussed the subject in an interview with British GQ in May 2022. He disclosed that he experienced tremendous agony around 4 in the morning and was sent to the hospital right afterward.
The 31-year-old actor previously disclosed that he was hospitalized and immobilized for a week with a virus that resembles appendicitis, he also lost his voice at one point while delivering vocals for the Baz Luhrmann-directed drama.
Austin Butler opens up about haphazard shooting due to Covid
When Butler’s casting in Elvis was revealed in 2019, it was revealed that he will play the superstar from his teenage years till his passing in the 1970s. He was initially informed by Baz Luhrmann that the film would be shot chronologically.
Beginning with his teen years, Butler would have time in between scenes to get in shape to transform his body from Presley’s lithe form from the mid-1950s when he first became famous, to his later years in Vegas when substance abuse and hard living caught up with him.
However, due to Covid making a comeback, the entire schedule was changed and everything went haywire. Everything was shot out of order and Butler did not get time for physical preparation. So the character was made to look older and other nuances such as leg pain, back pain, and voice were used to highlight the passage of time.
Austin Butler could not even meet his family while filming for Elvis. The actor recalls how Covid restrictions and his shooting schedule made it nearly impossible for him to see his family for almost three years. He recalled,
“I was prepping with Baz, and then I went to Australia. I had months where I wouldn’t talk to anybody. And when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis. I was speaking in his voice the whole time.”
The conditions were tough and Austin Butler’s health continued to deteriorate during the shooting of Elvis. The actor still managed to win a few awards out of it, and make a mark on Hollywood.
Elvis is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Source: People
