Austin Butler Teaches Jimmy Fallon to Dance Like Elvis Presley

It’s not easy to learn moves like Elvis Presley, but it certainly helps if the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself is the one giving you pointers. That’s how it went down for Jimmy Fallon this week when actor Austin Butler made an appearance on The Tonight Show. Butler portrays the music icon in Elvis, a new biopic opening in theaters this month.

During the interview, Butler discussed what it was like to play such a legendary figure, and opened up about what he learned about The King’s dance moves. “Elvis…didn’t do choreography in the way that Michael [Jackson] did. It was all the music moving him,” Butler said. “And obviously there are signature things that he did that you have to be specific about, but it was all about the way that the music moved him.” Fallon then asked if Butler could show him some of the Elvis moves he learned, to which the actor kindly, albeit reluctantly, obliged. Check out the whole thing below at around the nine-minute mark.

Elvis is set to open in theaters on June 24th, but reviews have already started to roll in, and they praise Butler’s performance in the epic biopic while noting that the direction by Baz Luhrmann is a bit over-the-top. The film was screened for audiences and critics at the Cannes film festival in Italy. Per the AV Club, the film is reported to have been met with a standing ovation. Following the Cannes premiere, many outlets began publishing reviews, and reactions seem fairly mixed overall.

However, the one thing that almost everyone seems to agree on is that Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley is very good. “As for the big question of whether Butler could pull off impersonating one of the most indelible icons in American pop-culture history, the answer is an unqualified yes,” wrote THR critic David Rooney. “His stage moves are sexy and hypnotic, his melancholy mama’s-boy lost quality is swoon-worthy and he captures the tragic paradox of a phenomenal success story who clings tenaciously to the American Dream even as it keeps crumbling in his hands.”

In addition to Butler, Elvis stars Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager, and Olivia DeJonge (Netflix’s The Society) as Priscilla Presley. Other stars include Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The film’s soundtrack also features some big names, with artists like Eminem, Doja Cat, and Jack White performing Elvis tunes and originals inspired by his music. Fans can check out the first single from the soundtrack, Doja Cats’ “Vegas,” by clicking here.