Playing the lead role in a movie about Elvis Presley, obviously a lot of young actors were interested in it. Miles Teller and Harry Styles, among others, auditioned for the role, which eventually went to Austin Butler. In the podcast ‘Fitzy & Wippa’, director Baz Luhrman was asked about those hopeful actors. “First of all, I don’t audition,” the director said. “I do very extensive workshops. I’m only going to talk about Harry now, because he himself talked about it recently.” According to Luhrman, Styles’ rejection had nothing to do with his acting skills. “He is a very talented actor. But the real problem with Harry is that he is Harry Styles. He is already an icon.”
“I think Harry and I found each other,” Luhrman continued. “He was really desperate to put on that costume and go exploring. He’s such a great guy, and I have nothing but good things about him to tell.” And the rejection didn’t hit Harry Styles either, he said. “Elvis was probably the first man I knew as a small child, apart from my family,” said the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer. “It felt so incredibly sacred that I really felt I had to audition. I was very intrigued. But I think that when a director feels like I’m not the best person for the part, that’s better for him and better for me. If they think someone else is better for the part, then I don’t want to do it again. I don’t want to be the version that just isn’t good enough.”
‘Elvis’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month. The film will hit theaters in our country on June 22.