“It was a very emotional experience. It’s very intense to watch when it comes to your own family,” says 32-year-old Keough, who was allowed to watch the biopic about her grandfather in advance. “I started crying within five minutes and didn’t stop. A lot of family and generational trauma started in the period that can also be seen in the film.”
The young director and actress says Luhrman spoke extensively with her, her mother and grandmother Priscilla Presley before starting his feature. The family also gave the director access to Graceland, the Memphis estate where Elvis lived. Furthermore, they have had no involvement with the film, Keough knows. “Ultimately, we’re not going to tell Baz Luhrmann how to make a movie.”
In Elvis, Luhrmann tells (The Great Gatsby) the story of world star Elvis Presley seen through the eyes of Colonel Tom Parker, a Dutchman who was born with the name Dries van Kuik. The controversial resident of Breda discovered Elvis and was his manager for many years. The film covers approximately the twenty years after its breakthrough, in the mid-fifties. Austin Butler (Elvis) and Tom Hanks (Parker) star. The film will premiere worldwide on Thursday, June 23.