Jacob Elordi or Austin Butler? Who is more believable in the role Elvis Presley? Quest (made for fun) is open. Both epitomized the king of rock ‘n’ roll in movies, both are modern teen idols perfect for Generation Z: enough to kick-start the competition in the media (or at least TikTok).
Jacob Elordi – the second Elvis Sofia Coppola which focuses on the wife: the movie Priscilla just entered the competition Venice Film Festival (release date in Italian cinemas is not yet known). So Elordi-Elvis is not the protagonist, the point of view here is the female reverse of the young Priscilla, almost a child bride, and then married in love and unhappy with Presley. There is no place for Elvis’ musical performances in this film, his character is told through love story with Priscilla: meeting in Germany, then engagement and transfer to Graceland, a little love nest, a little golden cage (as in another Sofia Coppola film, Marie Antoinette). Elordi embodies Ambivalent Elvis, sweet and at the same time authoritarian, in love and unfaithful, respectful and capable of psychological violence. A star in private is all that interests Sofia Coppola, who explained at a press conference that she thought of Elordi for the role, because he was able to best convey all the psychological nuances of the character. This is definitely the filmmaking twist that an actor needs to establish himself outside of Euphoriaseries that made it amazing Nate Jacobstoxic sex symbol for the younger generation.
In film Baz Luhrmann ElvisStarting in 2022, Austin Butler instead embodied Presley’s existential parable in the classic narrative paradigm of a star that appears on the roof of the world and then falls catastrophically: a start, a staggering success, and then decline and self-destruction. He is an adrenaline Elvis, at least in the first part of the film, the performance scenes are long, pyrotechnic and over the top in typical Luhrmann style, all vitality and sparks. In the film, Butler actually sings many of the songs he hears in a Presley-like tone: his voice was mixed with that of the real Elvis, resulting in a very realistic effect. Excellent reviews about Butler’s performance, including from the daughter of Lisa-Marie Presley, for whom the actor “perfectly conveyed and embodied the heart and soul of my father-father.” In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and finally delivered with precision and respect.” The performance earned him an award nomination.Oscar as the best actor in a leading role: Will Smith then won, who hit Chris Rock at the awards ceremony, but that’s another story. As Butler, the role represents his official entry into the Hollywood Top Actor list after starting out as teen idol made by Nickleodeon (based on the TV series Ned – survival school), TV series and Broadway musicals. Detail that increases his star power: his girlfriend Kaia Gerberdaughters of supermodel Cindy Crawford (by the way: why hasn’t anyone come up with a crisis for this young power couple yet?).