'Elvis' Director Explains Why He Decided Against Casting Harry Styles
The famous singer looked like the only possible choice for the role of the iconic Elvis Presley, so why did Baz Luhrmann decide to hire Austin Butler for his film instead?
Harry Styles has made a name for himself as a talented singer with a captivating personality, but in recent years he has also pursued acting quite successfully, appearing in Christopher Nolan 's 'Dunkirk', joining the MCU as Starfox and starring in several highly anticipated films. The idea of hiring Styles for an Elvis Presley-themed flick sounded like a great way for the singer to announce his talent in front of the camera to the world, but the film's director chose the relatively lesser-known Butler for the lead role in the film. And now we finally know why.
Appearing on the 'Fitzy and Wippa' podcast, Luhrmann confirmed rumors that Styles was the studio's number one peak and explained why he decided to bet on the dark horse, choosing Austin Butler for the role of the King.
"Harry is a really talented actor. I would work on something with him, the real issue is, he's Harry Styles. He's already an icon," Luhrmann said.
It seems that Styles' megastardom unexpectedly cost him the role: the director decided that Presley's image should not be mixed with that of an already famous actor. Fans support Luhrmann's decision, citing the fact that most of star's fans wouldn't be able to look beyond his image to get a feel for Presley's story.
"Harry couldn’t just disappear into the role like Austin did. You would have always seen Harry. Love the guy but Don’t Worry Darling is more appropriate than Elvis," – @CamTenMGMT.
Others were quick to point out that inviting a Brit to play the iconic American singer would be as bad as inviting an American to play James Bond.
'Elvis' will rock the audiences on June 24, 2022.