Why Elvis Movie Director Baz Luhrmann Didn't Cast Harry Styles As Singer
Elvis director Baz Luhrmann reveals that he considered Harry Styles for the title role, but ultimately didn’t cast him. Luhrmann ended up casting Austin Butler to play legendary singer Elvis Presley. While the film’s theatrical release does not begin until June 24, the early reviews of Elvis praise Butler’s performance as the music icon. The film also stars Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, and Dacre Montgomery.
Casting Elvis was no simple task. Luhrmann reportedly considered multiple actors for the role before deciding on Butler, including Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, and former One Direction singer Styles. Butler won the role despite a relatively small film presence, with his highest-budget movie before Elvisbeing a smaller part in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. His audition got a boost, however, in the form of a had the ringing endorsement from Denzel Washington for his casting, ultimately increasing Luhrmann’s confidence to cast the actor in the huge role.
Related: Elvis: The Sad Connection That Made Austin Butler's Casting Perfect
Now, Luhrmann reveals the reason why he didn’t cast Styles in the role. While the director praises Styles’ acting ability, he says he felt Styles was already too much of a well-known icon to inhabit the role, according to EW. Simply put, Luhrmann thinks that “the real issue with Harry is, he's Harry Styles.” Check out Luhrmann’s full statement below:
Harry is a really talented actor. I would work on something with him, [but] the real issue with Harry is, he's Harry Styles. He's already an icon. Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore. He's such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry
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