Harry Styles revealed he was auditioning for the role of Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of the same name. In this regard, the singer opened up about his fascination with the King and how he felt after being rejected.
Elvis fan since childhood
According to Styles, he was fascinated by Elvis Presley from an early age. This enthusiasm eventually led him to audition for Elvis. However, the singer-actor, who has starred in films such as Dunkirk and Don’t Worry Darling, was not chosen and the director preferred Austin Butler as the protagonist of his film. Harry Styles didn’t blame those responsible for the eventual cancellation:
“Elvis was probably the first person I knew outside of my family when I was a kid,” said the former One Direction singer. “Because of that, there was something incredibly sacred about him, so I thought I should try to get the part.”
Styles continued, “I was very intrigued by it. I think if a director feels like I’m not the best person for the role, then it’s better for them and it’s better for me,” he said. “If you think the movie will be better with someone else, then I don’t want to do it because I don’t want to be the not-so-good version.”
He also shared that during the screen test he had to recreate a famous Elvis Las Vegas performance and reenact a few scenes. Styles admitted that he didn’t feel like he looked very much like Presley. So he wasn’t offended that Austin Butler was chosen.