Austin Butler Says He's Finally 'Getting Rid' Of The Elvis Accent

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Austin Butler may sound a little different in the near future. Now that he's wrapping up the Elvis press tour, the star of the movie said he wants to stop talking like Elvis Presley. “I am getting rid of the accent," Butler said on The Graham Norton Show per Page Six, "but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing." Butler went on to share just how much work transforming into Elvis took. "One song took 40 takes," he revealed.

The Oscar nominee's accent after portraying the King of Rock and Roll in Baz Luhrmann's biopic has been a hot topic since last year. In January, the actor turned heads when he accepted his 2023 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture with a Memphis drawl. When reporters asked him about it after the show, Butler replied, "Yeah, I didn't even think about it. I don't think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot. I often liken it to when someone lives in another country for a long time. I had three years where that was my only focus in life so I'm sure that there are just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way."

The actor's voice coach also spoke out after the controversial acceptance speech saying, "What you saw in that Golden Globes speech, that's him. It's genuine, it's not put on. I feel sorry people are saying that, you know, it's still acting (but) he's actually taken (the voice of Elvis) on board. Because of COVID shutdowns, he was working on it all the time and it's difficult to switch off something you've spent so much focus (and) time on."


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