9-1-1 star Angela Bassett knows what it’s like to get stuck in a role, having played Tina Turner back in 1993, so she understands Austin Butler‘s struggle in shaking his “Elvis voice.”
Speaking to the New Yorker, the Oscar-nominated Wakanda Forever actress was asked about the impact Elvis Presley has had on Butler and whether she went through a similar situation when she played Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It.
“Absolutely,” she said, giving an iconic Turner-style laugh to show that it’s still part of her all these years later. “Tina’s laugh and the way she spoke took over… It took over, not as long as Elvis — maybe about four months after. You so lived and breathed and began to see life through their perspective. You had to. They’re a part of you.”
Butler has received praise and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role as the legendary singer in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, which was released last June. However, fans have noticed that he appears to be still talking like the “Blue Suede Shoes” hitmaker, which became apparent during his Golden Globes acceptance speech last month.
“I think that’s what’s going on with him,” Bassett continued. “You have to bid it farewell, and it’s hard to let it go, because you’ve enjoyed it, you survived it, you delivered and you’re proud of that. You got an opportunity, and you hit it out of left field. So it takes a moment to get back to regular you. But you’re different after this moment. Now you’re Austin, who did that great performance.”
Butler, who started his acting career on Disney and Nickelodeon before landing recurring roles in teen dramas such as Life Unexpected and Switched at Birth, addressed the Elvis chatter backstage after the Globes ceremony. “I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot,” he said.
95th Annual Academy Awards, Sunday, March 12, 8/7c, ABC