Priscilla Presley Walks Met Gala Carpet with Elvis ' Austin Butler and Doubles Down on Movie Praise
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Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Austin Butler and Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley has taken her endorsement of Elvis to the Met Gala red carpet.
The ex-wife of the late Elvis Presley accompanied the cast — including Austin Butler, who plays Elvis, and Olivia DeJonge, who plays Priscilla — and director Baz Luhrmann to fashion's biggest night on Monday.
During a chat with La La Anthony on the red carpet, as seen on Vogue's livestream, DeJonge, 24, said she did "a lot of reading and a lot of listening" to prepare for her role as Priscilla.
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As for the real-life Priscilla, 76, she said she "loves" the film and added, "I think it's a movie for everyone."
"Even the people who've heard stories about Elvis before, they're gonna learn something," she said.
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Jamie McCarthy/Getty Austin Butler
Butler, 30, said that making Priscilla and Jerry Schilling, Elvis' former manager who was also present at the event Monday night, "proud was really at the core of it all for me."
"Making all the people who loved Elvis so much proud and doing [him] justice," added Butler, who wore a black suit to the event.
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"I just set out to find his humanity as much as I could and bring that out with as much life as much as I could," he said.
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Priscilla previously gave Elvis her seal of approval, raving about Luhrmann's vision and Butler's performance as the titular rock legend after she was treated to a private screening.
"For those curious about the new film ELVIS, Baz Luhrmann, the director, provided a private screening for me and Jerry Schilling at Warner studios recently," she wrote Friday on Facebook.
"This story is about Elvis and Colonel Parker's relationship. It is a true story told brilliantly and creatively that only Baz, in his unique artistic way, could have delivered. Austin Butler, who played Elvis is outstanding," Priscilla continued.
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"Halfway through the film Jerry [Schilling] and I looked at each other and said WOW!!! Bravo to him … he knew he had big shoes to fill," Priscilla said. "He was extremely nervous playing this part. I can only imagine. Tom Hanks was Col Parker in this film. What a character he was. There was two sides to Colonel, Jerry and I witnessed both."
"The story, as we all know, does not have a happy ending. But I think you will understand a little bit more of Elvis' journey, penned by a directer [sic] who put his heart and soul and many hours into this film," she concluded.
The first trailer for Elvis dropped in February, giving a glimpse at Butler in the role of a lifetime and Hanks, 65, as Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker, as well as Australian actress DeJonge as a young Priscilla.
Elvis premieres June 24 in theaters and 45 days later on HBO Max.
