As the world watches the 2023 Oscar nominations become a cause for speculation about who will be the final winner, there is another topic that has attracted everyone’s attention. Throughout the awards season, we’ve heard Elvis star Austin Butler invest in the beat, seemingly keeping character with that deep voice full of Memphis swagger. The argument over whether he will surrender or not is coming to an end, as Butler officially allows his noticeable accent to leave the building.
The news broke through Butler’s guest spot on the Graham Norton Show, as the acting heartthrob confessed how much physical damage his Oscar-nominated role had caused him. Even wilder is the admission that one untitled song required an outrageous number of takes, as described by Austin Butler below:
I’m getting rid of my accent, but I probably damaged my vocal cords with my singing. One song took 40 takes!
People on both sides of the issue had already anticipated this, as even his co-star in Dune: Part Two, Dave Bautista, admitted that his co-star in the film did not use an Elvis accent on set. This didn’t stop the Internet from commenting on what they heard, as even Austin Butler’s thank-you speech at the Golden Globes sparked a heated debate. At least Butler’s decision to drop the accent came from personal concern, not from opinion on social media.
Let the guessing game begin about which Elvis number took so many takes, since everything from “Hound Dog” to “If I Can Dream” would meet all the requirements. The maximalist biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann went hard with each of these moments, and Butler was at the center of each of them. If there really is a question that needs to be asked, what scene didn’t push the “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star to the limit? Seriously, look at how hard he’s working on “If I Can Dream” and judge for yourself:
Smart money can be put on the fact that this is the number that sent Austin Butler through the call. Showing why this era of his career will go down in history as one of the most selfless and transformative performances, no matter how divided critical opinions about Elvis are, the praise that Baz Luhrmann gave Butler for using this voice to the fullest cannot be underestimated.
It remains to be determined whether Feyd-Rauta will bring a new voice to Butler, who will be able to use it in the coming months. We just have to wait for “Dune: Part Two” to release the first look at its next potential showstopper, which is due in theaters on November 3. While you’re waiting, you can currently stream both Elvis and the first Dune movie with an HBO Max subscription.
