As every year as the Oscars gala approaches, the actors and actresses who are nominated for some statuette reveal some of the best anecdotes of the filming of their films. This year one of the nominees for “Best Actor” is Austin Butler for Elvis. After having won this same category in the Golden Globes and in the BAFTA the artist has taken the opportunity to tell how he had to prepare physically for this role.
As is known, many actors have to undergo image changes to get certain roles in movies or series. This can mean gaining weight and losing weight or even gaining muscles as Taylor Lautner had to for Twilight.
In the case of Butler, during this film he shows the different stages of the life of the King of Rock and Roll. This includes the final part in which the singer had clearly gained a few pounds and even found it difficult to breathe when singing. To be as close as possible to reality at this stage, the directors forced Austin to gain weight.
For the magazine Variety the actor has said that at first he did not know what to do to increase the kilos that were needed. It was then that he remembered that Ryan Gosling had put Haagen Dazs ice creams in the microwave until they melted and then drank them to gain weight on account of one of his roles. Seeing that this was effective, he decided to do the same and start a sweet diet. In addition to the liquid ice creams Austin started eating huge amounts of donuts. “I could take two dozen donuts and eat them all. I really started to gain weight” he confessed during the interview.
The actor remembers that although at first it was fun to eat only sweets in the end it ended up being something horrible and harmful to his health. Facing a big weight change in such a short time is something that ultimately takes its toll.
He explained that the time he was locked up at home due to confinement because of Covid-19 was good for him to gain weight. By postponing the filming of the film due to mobility restrictions he had more time to gain the kilos he needed.
Yet the diet was not the only thing Butler had to undergo to star in Elvis. The actor had to take singing lessons to perfect his voice for the film and has commented that this caused him damage that will be seen in a long term. He has even acknowledged that by imitating Presley’s voice for so long, he later found it difficult to return to his true tone. In fact his vocalist said that in a certain part this will remain “forever, since it is difficult to get rid of something that you have focused on for so long”.
At least, as a reward for all the efforts Austin had to make for the role, he is receiving great recognition for it.
