Cailee Spaeny Says Priscilla Presley's Reaction to Her Portrayal Is 'Best Review I Could Get' (Exclusive)

Spaeny also praised her 'Priscilla' costar Jacob Elordi in her conversation with PEOPLE, saying that he was "a good sport” during filming

Cailee Spaeny says there’s no praise like Priscilla Presley’s.

The actress, who portrays Presley in the Sofia Coppola-directed film Priscilla, shared with PEOPLE at the Gotham Awards on Monday night that she received some stellar feedback on her performance in the film from the former wife of the King of Rock and Roll herself.

“[Priscilla’s] reaction and how she said she watched her life through seeing the movie. That's it. That's the best review I could get,” Spaeny, 25, recalls of watching Priscilla next to Presley, 78, at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.

However, when it comes to evaluating her own performance — for which she was nominated in the outstanding lead performance category at Monday's ceremony in New York City — the actress notes that she's a much harsher critic.

“There's always things I would change,” she says. “I know, after every film, I've never gotten to the point where I'm like, 'That was perfect.' There's always things I would change about my performances when I watch them.”

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Related: Cailee Spaeny Jokes She and Jacob Elordi Were 'Good Study Buddies' When Researching for Priscilla

She says she hadn’t watched the film prior to the festival and when she finally did, she was “white-knuckling it the whole time” and even thinks that she “closed my eyes for about 50% of it.”

“But I'm not a very good person to judge those sorts of things,” Spaeny admits. “I don't think anyone really would be if you're watching yourself on screen for that long.”

“But it's been really amazing hearing the response from everyone,” she adds. “Seeing how young girls have connected to it, or girls from all generations. So it's been special to go on this journey and just get to celebrate it.”

Spaeny also passes the praise on to her costar Jacob Elordi, who portrays Elvis Presley in the film, calling him a “generous actor" who "put his whole heart and soul into" his performance.

“He was a good sport,” she tells PEOPLE. “It was just important for us to make sure we felt comfortable with each other before we shot this film, because we only shot in 30 days, so it was important that we had that bond and that trust.”

Related: Cailee Spaeny Explains 'Incredible Responsibility' of Playing Priscilla Presley in Priscilla Clip (Exclusive)

Spaeny previously discussed the importance of making sure Presley’s story was told in a behind-the-scenes clip released by A24 in October, saying, “It’s an incredible responsibility to make sure that Priscilla felt seen."

The film covers the pair's first meeting in 1959 and subsequent relationship and marriage, which lasted until their separation and divorce in 1972. It is based on Presley's 1985 memoir Elvis and Me.

“Cailee really transformed; she’d look so different. She’d go from 15 to 28 and pregnant in one day," Coppola, 52, shared of how Spaeny portrayed Presley over the roughly 13-year period chronicled in the film, which Coppola also wrote.

“This is the most challenging role I’ve ever done in my career; it’s the version of the story we’ve never seen before," Spaeny added.

Priscilla is currently in theaters.

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